C^p^ri^fft.  A-.Duj3oi^i 


THE  LIFE  OF 

HEINRICH    CONRIED 


BY 

MONTROSE    J.    MOSES 


NEW   YORK 

THOMAS    Y.    CROWELL    COMPANY 

PUBLISHERS 


Copyright,  1916, 
By  RICHARD  GENEE  CONRIED 


Co 

RICHARD    GENEE    CONRIED 

FILIAL    LOYALTY    AND    DEVOTION    ENTERED    1 
INTO    THE    BIAKING    OF   THIS    BOOK 


m5v'895 


INTRODUCTION 

DURING  his  lifetime,  Mr.  Conried  was 
besought  by  many  of  his  friends  to  write 
his  reminiscences.  Had  he  done  so,  they 
would  have  been  rich  in  personal  flavor  and  pro- 
fessional association.  But  Mr.  Conried's  active 
life,  almost  to  the  day  of  his  death,  precluded 
any  such  leisurely  occupation.  Consequently, 
the  following  biographical  sketch  attempts  in 
part  to  fix  the  progress  of  events  in  the  career 
of  the  young  Austrian  weaver,  who  finally  came 
to  occupy  one  of  the  highest  artistic  posts 
America  could  offer  him. 

Lewis  Carroll  once  very  wittily  said  that  auto- 
biography was  what  biography  ought  to  be. 
Under  ideal  conditions  this  definition  is  true. 
Mr.  Conried  did  not  leave  much  written  evi- 
dence for  the  historian  to  use;  hence  his  artistic 
ambition  and  his  mental  measurements  have  to 
be  determined  largely  by  his  actual  professional 
accomplishment.  Those  of  his  friends  who  came 
so  often  within  range  of  his  personality  must 
realize  that  the  significance  of  Heinrich  Con- 
ried as  a  commanding  figure  is  more  historical 


VI  INTRODUCTION 

than  personal.  Whereas  his  charm  and  gracious- 
ness  warmed  and  brightened  many  a  circle,  his 
correspondence  is  strictly  business-like  and  to 
the  point.  The  small  moments  in  a  man's  life 
are  of  no  significance  unless  they  are  recorded 
by  the  man  himself:  Mr.  Conried  left  no  such 
records.  The  wit  which  so  often  characterized 
him  has  come  to  the  present  writer  second  hand, 
and  has  necessarily  lost  something  of  that  free- 
dom which  it  once  possessed. 

There  was  much  of  the  spontaneous  in  Hein- 
rich  Conried;  he  scintillated  in  a  room  full  of 
people;  he  at  once  became  the  centre  of  attrac- 
tion. But  there  was  also  much  of  the  reserve 
in  Heinrich  Conried,  and  he  hardly  ever  gave 
expression  to  his  dreams.  His  was  an  elusive 
personality — now  fascinating,  then  aggressively 
sarcastic  and  almost  rude;  now  loquacious  in 
anecdote,  but  almost  taciturn  where  his  inner 
self  was  concerned.  His  true  friends  knew  that 
behind  all  this  was  the  rare  quality  of  the  man. 
He  often  fell  into  long  silences — and  it  is  in 
the  silence  man  really  and  truly  and  deeply  lives, 
says  Maeterlinck.  While  automobiling,  Mr. 
Conried  always  sat  next  to  the  chauffeur,  so 
that  he  need  not  talk  if  he  did  not  wish.  And 
he  was  equally  as  reserved  in  his  correspondence. 

Among  all   the  papers  handed  me  by  Mr. 


INTRODUCTION  Vll 

Conried's  son,  only  a  few  afford  me  an  op- 
portunity of  judging  the  man.  If  I  have,  in  the 
following  pages,  succeeded  in  catching  any  of 
the  personal  color  of  the  husband,  the  father, 
and  the  friend,  I  have  the  many  to  thank  who 
knew  him  and  who  have  generously  talked  with 
me  of  him.  Even  those  who  at  one  time  or  an- 
other had  crossed  swords  with  Mr.  Conried, 
gave  evidence  of  their  admiration  for  him,  and 
they  recognized  the  healthy  influence  of  his 
idealism  in  the  theatrical  field. 

It  is  the  idealism  of  Heinrich  Conried  which 
is  the  fundamental  note  of  the  man.  I  insist 
on  this,  despite  the  fact  that  the  bulk  of  private 
papers  in  my  possession  show  him  in  a  busi- 
ness light.  There  are  those  who  claimed  that 
he  commercialized  Art;  but  if  that  were  so,  why 
was  the  Irving  Place  Theatre  nearly  always  run 
at  a  loss?  It  is  true  that  at  the  Metropolitan 
Opera  House  he  conducted  many  things  on  a 
strictly  business  basis.  Nevertheless,  his  dis- 
tinctive efforts  were  artistic,  however  much  they 
may  have  proven  self-interested  and  profitable 
endeavors. 

There  was,  none  the  less,  much  of  the  finan- 
cier's discernment  in  Mr.  Conried.  Though 
he  might  never  drive  a  bargain  with  his  ideals, 
he  sometimes  did  with  the  expression  of  these 


VIU  INTRODUCTION 

ideals.  He  had  the  sense  of  monopoly,  not 
often  given  to  the  artist;  he  had  the  ability  of 
surrounding  himself  with  those  most  service- 
able to  his  purpose.  Some  of  his  friends  claim 
that  he  was  a  poor  business  man.  Answering  the 
accusation  that  he  had  commercialized  Opera, 
Mr.  Conried  himself  confessed  that,  had  he  been 
the  business  manipulator  his  enemies  claimed 
him  to  be,  he  would  have  resigned  his  post  as 
Impresario  a  richer  man  than  he  was.  How- 
ever that  may  be,  Mr.  Conried  for  five  years 
dealt  in  large  figures — sometimes  wisely  and  at 
other  times  unwisely.  On  the  Continent  he  was 
known  as  the  artistic  scourge  of  Europe,  so  per- 
sistently did  he  denude  the  foreign  opera  houses 
of  their  best  talent.  His  business  instinct  may 
have  tempered  his  idealism  somewhat,  but  none 
the  less  was  the  dreamer  the  dominating  quality 
in  the  make-up  of  Heinrich  Conried. 

Being  a  reserved  man,  he  spoke  but  little  of 
his  aspirations,  of  his  plans.  Perhaps  the  near- 
est he  ever  came  to  enthusiasm  on  paper  was 
while  speaking  of  the  New  Theatre,  when  it  was 
merely  a  concept  in  his  brain.  He  was  a  con- 
stant lecturer,  but  I  am  unfortunate  in  not 
possessing  a  single  manuscript,  preservative  of 
his  ideas  concerning  drama  or  German  litera- 
ture.    He  talked  on  Goethe  and  Schiller  from 


INTRODUCTION  IX 

notes  at  the  Irving  Place  Theatre,  but  none  of 
these  notes  were  preserved.  He  would  often 
boast  that  he  knew  most  of  Goethe  by  heart. 
Yet  I  am  convinced,  however  wanting  I  am  in 
written  evidence,  that  Heinrich  Conried  was 
intellectually  well  grounded;  that  he  knew 
whereof  he  spoke. 

A  man  who  deals  in  German  drama  cannot 
help  but  become  versed  in  literature — so  inti- 
mately are  the  two  connected.  But  from  the 
Berlin  days,  Conried,  as  regisseur,  was  ever 
wedded  to  the  standard  plays, — so  much  so  that, 
when  he  became  stage-manager  for  Madame 
Mathilde  Cottrelly,  at  the  New  York  Thalia 
Theater,  he  showed  no  interest  in  anything  ex- 
cept what  was  classic.  Brought  up  in  the  tradi- 
tions of  national  theatres,  Mr.  Conried  grew 
naturally  into  the  belief  that  the  theatre  should 
be  preservative  of  the  best  writing  for  the  stage. 
I  do  not  claim  for  Mr.  Conried  broad  culture, 
but  I  do  claim  that  what  culture  he  possessed 
was  not  superficial.  With  his  artistic  traditions 
and  with  his  idealism,  it  would  have  been  com- 
paratively an  easy  matter  for  Heinrich  Con- 
ried to  have  further  educated  himself  for  the 
requirements  of  the  New  Theatre,  which  he  so 
eagerly  wished  for  in  America. 

The  professional  career  of  Mr.  Conried  is  of 


X  INTRODUCTION 

historical  importance.  Since  his  time,  the  Ger- 
man population  in  New  York  has  changed  so 
materially  that  there  is  no  longer  much  neces- 
sity for  a  distinctive  playhouse,  devoted  wholly 
to  German  drama.  The  children  of  the  new 
generation  are  Americans;  and  members  of  the 
'48  society,  who  used  to  support  Mr.  Conried 
while  he  was  Director  of  the  Irving  Place  The- 
atre, are  decreasing  rapidly  in  numbers.  The 
consequence  is  that  the  now-called  Deutsches 
Theatre,  of  New  York,  has  to  struggle  for 
existence.  Its  raison  d'etre  seems  to  have 
passed.  But,  during  Mr.  Conried's  regime,  it 
was  an  artistic  home  for  the  German  people,  and 
within  its  walls  he  offered  an  example  of  mana- 
gerial policy  which  should  have  had,  and  did 
have,  to  a  limited  extent,  beneficent  effect  on 
the  American  Manager. 

In  his  career  it  will  be  seen  that,  wherever 
Mr.  Conried's  interest  was  actively  engaged, 
there  he  left  decided  impress  of  his  presence. 
As  a  manager,  as  an  impresario,  his  position  was 
always  one  of  dignity  and  powerful  importance. 
It  is  this  fact  I  wish  to  establish  in  the  follow- 
ing pages. 

My  indebtedness  for  information  is  so  wide- 
spread that  I  can  but  express  generally  my 
gratefulness   for  the  cooperation  of  Mr.   Con- 


INTRODUCTION  XI 

ried's  numerous  friends.  Many  hours  have 
been  spent  in  warm-hearted  reminiscence.  But 
though  in  this  biography  we  shall  strive  for  a 
personal  touch — in  which  Mr.  Richard  Conried 
has  so  ably  assisted  me — it  is  not  a  book  of 
reminiscences,  as  much  as  it  is  a  record  of  a  very 
full  and  useful  life. 

Montrose  J.  Moses. 

New  York,  April,  1916. 


CONTENTS 

PAGE 

Introduction    v 


CHAPTER    I 

Conried's  Early  Years:  Actor;  Strakosch;  meet- 
ing with  Foerster;  Vienna  Burg  Theater;  Leipzig 
Stadt  Theater.  How  Conried  became  manager  of  the 
Bremen  Stadt  Theater    1 


CHAPTER    II 

In  New  York  Under  Adolf  Neuendorff.  The 
German  Theatre  in  1877.  Conried  as  a  "star";  be- 
comes stage-manager  for  Mathilde  Cottrelly.  The 
Thalia  Theater:  German  actors.  Conried  at  the  Star 
Theatre,  and  at  the  Academy  of  Music.  The  business 
activity  of  Conried  and  Goldmark.  The  Casino 
Theatre:  stage-manager  for  Rudolph  Aronson;  comic 
operas  and  "stars"  of  the  period.  The  Conried  Opera 
Company.  Marriage;  birth  of  a  son.  Barnay.  Citi- 
zenship.    The  Ocean  Comfort  Company 23 

CHAPTER    III 

The  Irving  Place  Theatre  :  German  audiences  in 
New  York.  Amberg;  William  Steinway.  Policy  of 
the  theatre  from  1893-97.  Important  productions; 
"guesting"  engagements.  Policy  from  1897-1903. 
After    1903    76 


XIV  CONTENTS 

CHAPTER    IV 

PAGE 

Heinrich  Conried  and  the  University:  Affiliation, 
lectures,  benefit  performances.  Honors:  Yale,  Har- 
vard, Columbia,  Pennsylvania,  Cornell,  Vassar,  and 
other  institutions.  The  Classic  Drama  at  the  Irving 
Place  Theatre.  The  Modern  Literary  Stage.  Con- 
ried's  artistic  ideals  as  displayed  in  the  German  Thea- 
tre. Mr.  Conried  in  Court:  versus  Witmark;  versus 
the  widow  of  Johann  Strauss.  Plans  for  a  new  Irving 
Place  Theatre 115 

CHAPTER    V 

Directorate  of  the  Metropolitan  Opera  House: 
Mr.  Conried's  appointment.  The  new  organization. 
An  Impresario's  salary.  The  singers  under  his  direc- 
tion. The  Impresario's  busy  life,  as  exemplified  in 
Mr.  Conried's  correspondence;  and  his  direct  dealings 
with  his  "stars."  The  discovery  of  Caruso.  The 
jealousies  of  divas.  Preparations  for  a  new  season. 
Orders  from  an  Impresario.  Contracts  with  "stars." 
Expenses.  Caruso  as  a  concert  asset.  The  Pace  that 
Kills   171 


CHAPTER    VI 

Criticisms  against  Conried,  "Rigoletto."  "Parsi- 
fal": Discussion  for  and  against;  Conried's  statement. 
The  Case :  Conried  versus  the  Wagner  family.  "Parsi- 
fal" performed   229 

CHAPTER    VII 

An  Impression  of  Conried.  The  Seasons  1904-05, 
1905-06.  A  speech  which  raised  a  tempest.  Opera 
novelties.     Conried  and  the  Unions.     The  San  Fran- 


CONTENTS  XV 

PAGE 


Cisco  Earthquake.  The  Opera  School.  The  National 
Art  Theatre  Movement.  Conried's  views  concerning 
a  National  Theatre.  His  connection  with  the  New 
Theatre    255 


CHAPTER    VIII 

The  Season  of  1906-07.  Correspondence  about 
"Salome."  "Manon  Lescaut."  "Madame  Butterfly." 
"Salome"  in  rehearsal.  Opinions  for  and  against.  A 
testimonial  from  the  Opera  Company.  The  Directors 
interpose.  Conried's  formal  statement.  Resolutions 
after  the  withdrawal  of  "Salome"   293 

CHAPTER    IX 

The  End  of  Mr.  Conried^s  Regime.  Mr.  Conried's 
failing  health.  His  relationship  with  some  of  the 
Metropolitan  Directors.  Plans  for  the  new  season. 
Talk  of  resignation.  An  interview  about  Opera  Man- 
agement. A  performance  of  "Tristan  und  Isolde." 
Caruso.  The  Conried  Testimonial.  His  last  trip 
abroad.  Mme.  Rappold.  His  trained  nurse.  Con- 
ried's death.  The  return  voyage.  The  public  funeral. 
Remarks  of  Charles  Burnham.  Professor  Carpenter's 
Funeral  Address.     Comments  of  the  Press 317 

CHAPTER    X 
Heinrich  Conried,  the  Man   839 


LIST    OF    ILLUSTRATIONS 

Heinrich  Conried Frontispiece 

From  a  Photograph  by  A.  Dupont. 

Facing  Page 

Conried  as  Gringoire   12 

A   Scene   from   "Gringoire,"    when   Heinrich    Conried 

was  an  Actor  at  the  Burg  Theater 18 

Conried  as  a  Young  Man   24 

When  he  first  came  to  America. 

Conried  as  a  Character  Actor    36 

Adolph  Sonnenthal 66 

Agnes  Sorma  as  Rautendelein 100 

Sonnenthal  as  Nathan  in  "Nathan  der  Weise" 106 

Sonnenthal  and  Conried  at  Bad  Gastein   110 

In  later  life. 

Heinrich  Conried:  Lecturer    116 

Heinrich  Conried:  M.A.  (Penn.)    142 

Heinrich   Conried   at   His   Desk   in   the   Metropolitan 

Opera    House    1 72 

Enrico  Caruso   204 

A  Caruso   Cartoon    230 

Fashions  d  la  Caruso  and  d  la  Conried. 

Emma   Eames    266 

Geraldine  Farrar    298 

A  Cartoon  Impression  of  Conried 320 

Drawn  by  Robert  Blass,  Berlin,  1907. 

Mrs.   Heinrich  Conried    350 

From  a  Photograjih  by  Pach  Brothers. 


.       THE 
LIFE  OF  HEINRICH   CONRIED 

CHAPTER  I 

Conried's  Early  Years:  Actor;  Strakosch;  meeting 
with  Foerster;  Vienna  Burg  Theater;  Leipzig  Stadt 
Theater.  How  Conried  became  manager  of  the 
Bremen  Stadt  Theater. 

ON  April  1st,  1896,  Mr.  Conried  produced 
Hauptmann's  "The  Weavers"  at  the 
Irving  Place  Theatre.  While  preparing 
the  scenery,  he  allowed  his  mind  to  stretch  back- 
ward over  a  period  of  many  years,  when  he  was 
a  boy,  and  the  atmosphere  was  not  unlike  that 
surrounding  the  characters  in  the  play.  In 
order  to  make  the  scenery  more  realistic,  Mr. 
Conried  sent  to  his  birthplace,  Bielitz,  in  Aus- 
trian Silesia,  for  a  loom  and  other  details  mark- 
ing the  peasant-weaver's  home.  In  other  words, 
the  performance  at  the  Irving  Place  Theatre 
was  in  many  ways  autobiographical,  as  re- 
producing the  soil  out  of  which  Mr.  Conried 
came.  Therefore,  Hauptmann's  stage  direction 
for  his  second  act  may  serve  to  illuminate  the 


2  THE    LIFE    OF    HEINSICH    CONRIED 

scene    as    it    was    at    the    birth    of    Heinrich 

Conriefl. 

He  came  into  the  world  on   September  13, 
1855,  the  son  of  Joseph  and  Gretchen  Cohn. 
Some  say  that  the  father  was  even  so  far  up 
in  the  world  as  to  be  the  proprietor  of  a  yarn 
factory;  others  claim  that  he  was  only  a  weaver 
in  moderate  circumstances— making  a  livelihood 
in  a  town  which  was  noted  for  its  woollen  and 
linen  industries,  and  for  its  manufacture  of  jute. 
The  boy's  early  years,  therefore,  were  passed 
amidst  looms,  hanks  of  yarn,  and  reels.    Maybe, 
when  he  became  strong  enough,  he  was  given 
the  task  of  lifting  the  baskets  of  bobbins  from 
place  to  place.    There  was  no  sound  of  harmony 
brought  to  the  ears  of  little  Heinrich.     Bielitz 
shook  to  the  click  and  rattle  of  the  shuttles,  and 
there  was  the  continued  whir  of  looms  every- 
where.   Doubtless,  social  conditions  in  the  little 
town  were  such  as  to  make  ambitious  boys  like 
Conried  restive  and  spirited.     The  citizens  of 
Bielitz  must  have  nodded  their  heads  in  conster- 
nation when  they  passed  crowds   of  workmen 
surrounding   young   Heinrich   who,   no   sooner 
was  he  old  enough  to  think  for  himself,  was 
famed  locally  as  a  socialist  stump-speaker.    The 
father  looked  upon  his  boy  as  his  successor  in 
trade,  and,  as  soon  as  possible,  Heinrich  wa^ 


THE   LIFE   OF    HEINRICH    CONRIED  3 

set  at  the  loom.  It  is  even  said  that  he  became 
a  master-workman,  and  that,  when  he  was  made 
a  journeyman,  his  woven  design  pictured  "Faust 
and  Marguerite"  in  fifteen  colors! 

There  were  three  brothers  and  one  sister  in 
the  Conried  family,  but  Heinrich  was  the  only 
one  to  attain  a  position  of  distinction.  When 
the  time  came  for  fortune  to  smile  upon  him, 
he  did  all  that  he  could  for  those  he  had  left 
behind  in  the  old  country.  There  were  many 
who  little  deserved  his  assistance.  But  he  was 
devoted  to  his  people;  the  family  feeling  was 
strong  within  him,  and  he  was  ever  a  dutiful 
son.  Whatever  he  could  do,  even  under  the 
greatest  sacrifices,  he  did  for  them,  especially 
for  his  parents. 

The  old  father  of  Heinrich  Conried  has  been 
described  as  the  typical  Jewish  patriarch,  with 
his  long  white  beard  and  benevolent  face.  After 
his  son  left  for  America,  the  weaver  would  often 
turn  longing  eyes  across  seas.  "If  you  should 
see  my  Heinrich,"  he  would  say  to  those  about 
to  sail  for  America,  "take  care  of  him.  Don't 
let  any  harm  come  to  him."  Joseph  Cohn  died 
in  1889  and  his  wife  in  1903.  "Only  twice  did 
I  see  Heinrich  Conried  give  way  to  tears,"  a 
friend  told  me,  recalling  his  acquaintance  with 
the  Impresario.     "The  evening  of  'Parsifal' — 


4  THE   LIFE    OF    HEINRICH    CONRIED 

after  the  strain  was  all  over — he  sat  in  his  little 
office  before  his  desk,  overcome  by  his  emotions. 
And  in  that  same  room  he  heard  of  the  death 
of  his  mother." 

He  was  already  on  the  highroad  toward  suc- 
cess when  the  latter  passed  away.  I  have  un- 
earthed a  letter  which  explains  the  family  loyalty 
he  always  possessed. 

Vienna,  October  19,  1903. 
My  dear  good  Henry: 

A  heavy  blow  of  fate  has  struck  you,  the 
heaviest  a  filial  heart  may  receive;  and  I  shall 
not  even  attempt  to  console  you,  as  every  conso- 
ling word  would  but  be  a  profanation  of  your 
grief.  And  yet,  if  there  could  be  a  consolation 
for  you,  it  must  be  this :  that  you  have  rendered 
life  free  of  cares  for  your  mother  up  to  her 
great  age;  and  she  died  happy  and  content,  for 
she  did  see  you  at  the  height  of  your  effort  and 
your  fame.     Peace  to  her  remains! 

I  press  your  hand  and  that  of  your  dear 
Guste,  and  embrace  you  most  heartily  as  your 
sincere  friend, 

A.  SONNENTHAL. 

At  Bielitz,  there  were  several  friends  of  Con- 
ried's  parents  who  were  connected  with  the  local 
theatre.      Who   knows   but   that   Joseph    Cohu 


i 


THE    LIFE    OF    HEINRICH    CONRIED  5 

spent  many  a  sleepless  night,  solving  to  him- 
self the  future  of  his  boy.  But  instead  of  show- 
ing any  strong  inclination  to  become  a  weaver, 
Heinrich  turned  his  thoughts  to  the  theatre. 
For  the  lad  used  to  catch  and  sell  rare  butter- 
flies, and  when  he  had  gathered  enough  money 
for  a  theatre  ticket,  he  would  hie  himself  to 
the  gallery  as  fast  as  his  little  legs  would  carry 
him,  and  there  dream  his  dreams.  What  a 
wonderful  thing — that  day  of  days  when  he 
looked  within  his  savings-box  to  find  he  had 
enough  with  which  to  buy  himself  a  much 
coveted  seat.  No  boy  ever  ran  faster  to  the 
door  of  a  theatre!  But,  alas  for  him,  though 
he  was  first  in  line,  when  the  doors  were  opened 
outward,  they  brushed  the  sturdy  little  chap 
behind  them,  while  the  crowds  swept  in!  And 
there  he  was  a  prisoner.  When  he  finally  es- 
caped, the  house  was  full,  and  there  was  no 
ticket  for  him.  So  he  had  to  go  home  with  his 
coins,  and  count  the  hours  until  the  next  time! 
The  catching  of  butterflies  was  not  solely  a 
commercial  occupation  with  him;  he  became  in- 
terested in  them  for  their  own  sake,  and  many 
times  in  after  life  he  would  drolly  boast  that  in 
those  days  he  could  tell  the  species  of  a  butterfly 
by  its  very  shadow. 

Some  accounts  of  Conried's  early  life  state 


6  THE   LIFE   OF   HEINRICH    CONRIED 

that  his  aunt  was  the  Frau  Direktorin  of  the 
Bielitz  theater.  If  so,  why  was  it  necessary 
for  the  boy  to  buy  his  tickets?  However,  we  are 
given  a  pretty  picture  of  little  Heinrich's  first 
trip  to  the  play  with  this  same  aunt.  It  was  on 
his  fifth  birthday,  and  his  heart  was  all  aglow 
with  excitement.  The  temperament  of  the  artist 
was  thus  early  manifesting  itself. 

"May  I  not  become  an  actor  too?"  he  asked, 
turning  his  soft  blue  eyes  upon  her. 

"When  you  grow  up,"  she  told  him,  "twenty 
years  from  now." 

But  in  his  mind  there  dawned  a  determination 
which  later  regulated  the  life  of  Heinrich  Con- 
ried.  The  desire  of  five  became  a  declaration 
at  ten,  and  all  through  his  school  days,  passed 
at  the  Oberrealschule,  in  Vienna,  he  dreamed  and 
planned  as  is  the  way  with  boys.  At  the  age 
of  fifteen,  he  left  school,  and  was  apprenticed  to 
a  weaver.  Here,  he  only  repeated  what  has 
happened  to  every  artist  since  the  world  began. 
His  heart  was  elsewhere ;  and,  though  he  worked 
energetically  during  the  day,  he  would  study 
plays  by  flickering  candle  at  night. 

Evidently,  at  Vienna,  while  at  school,  he  put 
his  histrionic  gifts  to  the  test,  for  it  seems  that 
he  became  interested  in  some  amateur  theatri- 
cals, and  made  his  first  appearance  on  the  stage 


THE   LIFE    OF    HEINRICH    CONRIED  7 

of  the  Vienna  Harmonic  Theater,  where  the 
unprofessional  often  held  forth.  But  the  pre- 
miere ended  in  disaster.  He  had  no  lines  to 
speak;  instead,  he  was  given  an  urn  to  carry 
across  the  stage.  He  had  barely  reached  the 
centre  when  fright  overtook  him ;  he  dropped  the 
urn  and  fled.  How  many  others  like  him  have 
begun  their  careers  in  the  same  manner! 

Soon  his  apprenticeship  days  were  at  an  end; 
he  breathed  freely  when  he  realized  that  he  was 
now  his  own  master.  Yet,  he  must  have  heard 
from  his  orthodox  father  many  warnings  regard- 
ing the  ungodliness  of  play-acting,  and  about 
the  vagabondage  of  the  theatre  profession. 
Pressure  must  have  been  brought  to  bear  in 
his  home  against  his  attempting  such  a  liveli- 
hood; for  suddenly  he  slipped  away  from  the 
life  of  the  looms,  and  hastened  to  Vienna.  The 
career  of  Heinrich  Conried,  peasant  boy,  was 
finished. 

There  are  traditions  about  everyone,  and  in 
this  instance  we  are  asked  to  picture  Conried  as  a 
baker's  boy,  running  along  the  streets  of  Vienna. 
It  is  more  than  likely,  however,  that  he  sought 
out  his  brother,  who  was  a  bank  director,  and 
through  him  was  able  to  secure  a  position  in 
the  Commercial  Bank,  near  Linz.  About  this 
time,  his  brother  also  brought  him  in  contact 


8  THE    LIFE    OF    HEINRICII    CONRIED 

with  Alexander  Strakosch,  though  Conried 
makes  no  mention  of  the  fact  in  the  one  auto- 
biographical record  left  by  him.  Even  though 
a  clerk  in  a  banking-house,  he  found  time  to 
frequent  theatres,  and  to  hang  about  cafes, 
where  the  actors  congregated,  and  where  he 
could  imagine  himself  to  be  one  like  them.  His 
narrative  begins  at  this  point. 

"I  got  work  in  a  banking-house,  where  the 
salary  was  sufficient  to  pay  for  my  lodging,  for 
theatre  tickets,  and  for  meals  at  a  little  coffee- 
house, where  an  actor  of  the  famous  Burg 
Theater  was  occasionally  to  be  seen.  For  a 
long  time,  I  contented  myself  with  gazing  at 
him  from  a  distant  table.  But  day  by  day  I 
came  a  little  nearer;  and  finally  I  ventured  to 
sit  at  the  same  table  with  him.  Then  we  became 
really  acquainted:  I  suppose  he  was  amused  by 
my  frank  awe  and  admiration.  After  a  while, 
he  invited  me  to  attend  his  classes,  and  that  was 
my  first  real  start  in  the  profession. 

"Through  this  actor,  I  met  Dr.  Strakosch,  of 
the  Stadt  Theater,  and  later  Foerster,*  who  was 

*  August  Foerster  (1838-89),  in  1855,  was  at  the  Vienna  Burg 
Theater;  from  1876-82,  he  was  Director  of  the  Leipzig  Stadt 
Theater;  from  1883-88,  Director  of  the  Berlin  Deutsches  Theater; 
1888,  Director  of  the  Hofliurg  Theater,  in  Vienna.  Among  his 
chief  roles  may  be  cited:  Wachtmeister  in  "Wallenstein's  Lager"; 
Friedrich  WilheJm  in  "Zopf  und  Schwert";  Nathan;  King  Lear; 
Meiater  Anton  in  Hebbel's  "Maria  Magdalena." 


THE    LIFE    OF    HEINRICH    CONRIED  9 

at  that  time  stage-manager  of  the  Burg  Theater. 
Dr.  Strakosch  told  me  I  was  too  short  to  be  an 
actor;  Foerster,  on  the  other  hand,  encouraged 
me,  and  said  he  thought  I  had  talent  enough  to 
overcome  my  physical  shortcomings.  He  took 
me  to  his  class,  where  I  read  a  poem.  He  then 
offered  to  teach  me  every  day  for  four  weeks 
without  pay,  on  condition  that  I  would  promise, 
at  the  end  of  that  time,  either  to  give  up  the 
stage  altogether,  or  to  sign  a  contract,  which- 
ever way  he  decided. 

"Of  course  I  promised.  I  had  to  earn  my 
bread  and  butter — mostly  bread — at  the  bank, 
and  could  not  attend  his  classes.  But  he  took 
me  with  him  on  his  early  walks  to  the  Kursaal, 
where  he  drank  the  waters.  There  was  no  one 
about  at  that  hour — five  in  the  morning — and 
my  lessons  were  given  in  the  Auer  Garten. 

"At  the  end  of  the  third  week,  I  was  told  to 
attend  a  test  rehearsal  at  the  Burg  Theater,  and 
I  was  picked  out  of  forty-two  for  an  engage- 
ment. I  felt  that  my  career  was  made.  I  was 
at  last  a  member  of  the  famous  Burg  Theater, 
the  goal  of  every  German  and  Austrian  actor!" 

Whatever  fundamental  education  was  re- 
ceived by  Conried  was  due  to  the  discipline  of 
the  Vienna  Oberrealschule,  and  by  the  time  he 
became  acquainted  with  Strakosch,  he  had  fairly 


10  THE   LIFE   OF    HEINRICH    CONRIED 

well  trained  himself  in  certain  tricks  of  the  re- 
citer. "I  believe  it  was  before  an  august  as- 
semblage at  the  Academy,"  said  his  son,  "that 
my  father  read  some  fairy-tales  for  entrance  into 
a  class.  The  ordeal — which  in  every  way  was 
stupendous — took  place  before  an  audience  of 
unusual  import,  and  when  j^oung  Conried  came 
on,  there  was  much  talking  in  the  hall.  But  the 
actor  in  him  was  dominant.  He  paused  for  sev- 
eral seconds — just  long  enough  to  make  people 
realize  that  he  intended  to  be  heard, — and  then 
he  began.  Fairy-tales,  at  best,  are  difficult 
things  to  read  aloud,  but  I  have  been  told  that 
it  did  not  take  long  for  my  father  to  hold  his 
audience  spellbound."  What  opportunity  for 
reminiscences,  when  Strakosch  visited  the  United 
States  in  the  '90's,  and  lectured  on  German 
authors !  * 

It  was  through  Foerster,  however,  that  the 
career  of  Heinrich  Conried,  the  actor,  was  suc- 
cessfully launched. 

"I  at  once  gave  up  my  position  at  the  bank," 
he  continued  in  recollection,  "and  told  my  family 

*  Alexander  Strakosch,  a  dramatic  teacher  and  reciter,  was 
born  in  1846.  In  1860,  he  was  an  actor  at  the  Deutsches  Theater, 
in  Osenpest.  Then  he  went  to  the  Hof  Theater,  in  Hanover. 
Following  that,  he  went  to  Paris  for  Rhetoric  and  Conservatory 
work.  At  different  times  he  has  been  associated  with  the  I,eipzig 
Stadt  Theater.  In  1905,  he  became  connected  with  Reinhardt's 
Schauspielschule,  in  Berlin. 


THE    LIFE    OF    HEINKICH    CONRIED  11 

of  my  good  luck.  Up  to  that  time,  I  had  not 
said  a  word  about  my  theatrical  aspirations. 
They  considered  it  a  disgrace  to  have  any  of 
their  kin  associated  with  the  theatre.  I  didn't 
care;  to  be  a  member  of  the  Burg  Theater  was 
every  actor's  ambition.  The  world  seemed  be- 
fore me  in  those  days,  and  I  was  ecstatically 
hopeful  and  happy. 

"For  two  years,  I  worked  night  and  day. 
When  not  studying  my  parts,  I  spent  all  my 
time  hanging  about  Foerster,  familiarizing  my- 
self with  his  methods  as  an  actor  and  as  a 
manager.  Then  came  a  chance  to  join  a  travel- 
ling company  as  leading  character  actor.  This 
gave  me  the  best  possible  discipline — the  op- 
portunity to  play  all  sorts  of  parts,  from  farce 
to  tragedy.  Again  for  two  years  I  worked  hard, 
eighteen  hours  a  day,  with  no  salary  to  speak 
of.  We  played  all  through  Austria  and  Ger- 
many, and,  in  1873,  we  visited  my  home  town  of 
Bielitz.  I  was  then  at  the  head  of  the  com- 
pany. We  were  rather  crude,  I  think,  compared 
with  actors  nowadays.  I  was  pretty  bad,  but 
the  others  were  worse — they  must  have  been 
awful!" 

Going  a  little  more  into  detail,  I  find  that 
through  Foerster,  the  young  actor  became  a 
member  of  the  Theater  Akademie  in  July,  1872, 


12  THE   LIFE    OF    HEINRICH    CONRIED 

under  the  direction  of  Edward  Kirschner,  and, 
in  November  of  the  same  year,  he  entered  the 
newly  opened  Residenz  Theater.  The  beginning 
of  the  year  1873  found  Conried  playing  in  trial 
performances  before  Dingelstaedt,  and  then 
there  followed  that  six  months'  experience  as  a 
travelling  actor  which  brought  him  back  again 
to  his  home  town.  Due  to  the  watchful  eye  of 
Foerster,  young  Conried,  on  February  9,  1873, 
was  enrolled  as  a  member  of  the  Burg  Theater 
in  Vienna — then  regarded  by  everyone  as  the 
highest  home  of  German  art. 

His  associates,  who  remember  him  in  those 
days,  describe  him  as  he  used  to  sit  in  the  Cafe 
Griensteidl, — a  lovable  youth,  with  the  official 
post  of  "supernumerary,"  but  with  such  a  per- 
suasive pose  about  him,  that  his  manner  would 
have  led  a  stranger  to  believe  he  was  engaged 
for  some  prominent  character  role.  The  real 
fact  was  that,  at  this  time,  Conried  simply  came 
on  the  stage  to  announce,  "My  lord,  the  horse 
awaits  your  pleasure,"  or  he  lent  his  youthful 
lungs  to  swell  the  furor  of  a  mob. 

But,  whatever  it  was  he  did,  we  may  be  sure 
that  he  entered  into  it  with  all  his  power.  More 
often  heard  than  seen,  he  made  the  most  of  his 
opportunities.  He  was  not  alone  in  his  youth- 
ful  conceit.      There    were    others — actors,    au- 


CONRIED    AS    GRINGOIRE 


THE   LIFE   OF    HEINRICH    CONRIED  13 

thors  and  artists, — who  used  to  frequent  the 
Cafe  Griensteidl.  "How  often,"  writes  an  un- 
signed friend,  "have  I  sat  with  Conried  in  those 
days,  in  that  part  of  the  coffee-house  overlook- 
ing the  Herrengasse.  Zahhiiarkor  Franz  used 
to  say:  'There  are  guests  in  the  coffee-house 
who  would  do  better  if  they  were  bakers.'  And 
we  regarded  these  words  as  from  an  oracle,  for 
Zahlmarkor  Franz,  of  Griensteidl,  was  a  figure 
amongst  us,  as  easy-going  with  prominent  diplo- 
mats as  he  was  with  Sonnenthal,  Josef  Wagner, 
and  others.  Besides  which,  he  had  been  im- 
mortalized by  Karl  Sitter  in  'Figaro.'  Then 
came  more  prosperous  days  for  Heinrich  Con- 
ried, and  he  went  from  our  midst." 

In  spite  of  his  physical  handicap,  the  young 
actor  progressed.  He  tried  to  overcome  his 
height  in  a  manner  thoroughly  in  accord  with 
the  acting  methods  of  the  day.  There  are  those 
who  recall  the  way  in  which  he  and  his  as- 
sociates would  mouth  and  rant.  There  was  not 
a  stage  movement  of  the  day  that  did  not  call 
for  stereotyped  gesture  and  pose.  This  manner 
was  called  "heroic,"  and  plays  were  WTitten  so 
as  best  to  develop  the  heroic  manner.  Conried 
never  quite  escaped  his  training.  Even  later  on 
in  private,  one  could  easily  detect  the  pose  of 
the  Thespian;  he  never  lost  it. 


14  THE   LIFE    OF    HEINRICH    CONRIED 

When  he  made  his  debut  at  the  Burg  Theater, 
on  February  23,  1873,  he  was  a  mere  boy,  with 
a  shock  of  brown  hair,  and  with  eyes  which  be- 
trayed him  as  a  dreamer.  There  was  a  cleft 
in  his  chin,  which  gave  to  his  rather  prominent 
mouth  a  note  of  indulgence. 

A  popular  idol  of  the  day  was  Josef  Lewin- 
sky;* his  name  was  upon  everyone's  lips.  Not 
only  that,  but  he  left  his  impress  on  the  dress 
of  the  day,  and  it  goes  without  saying  that  the 
Conried  of  this  period  adopted  the  Lewinsky 
style. 

For  two  years,  therefore,  he  did  dramatic 
*'chores"  at  the  Burg  Theater,  and,  during  that 
activit}^  (1873-74),  he  at  the  same  time  occupied 
the  position  of  Master  of  Declamation,  at  the 
Theater  Akademie  and  at  the  Conservatory.  In 
1874,  Conried  went  to  the  Berlin  National 
Theater,  where  he  assumed  the  name  of  "Robert 
Buchholz."  He  now  was  entrusted  with  char- 
acter parts,  and  was  also  assigned  the  post  of 
Ober-regisseur.  It  was  not  long  before  he  be- 
came a  declared  favorite  with  the  public,  and 

*  See  "Das  Wiener  Burg  Theater,"  von  R.  Lothat  (Dichter  und 
Darsteller  series).  Pictures  of  Foerster  on  pp.  108,  109;  Lewinsky, 
p.  124;  picture  of  the  Burg  Theater,  p.  125;  Lewinsky  as  Richard 
III,  p.  137;  caricature  of  Lewinsky,  p.  128;  interior  of  the  Vienna 
Burg  Theater,  p.  132;  Josef  Kainz,  p.  200.  Another  excellent 
picture  of  Kainz  is  to  be  found  in  "Neuer  Theater  Almanach," 
Berlin  (1911). 


THE   IJFE    OF    HEINRICH    CONRIED  15 

was  identified  with  such  roles  as  Franz  Moor 
in  "Die  Raiiber,"  Mephisto  in  "Faust,"  and 
lago  in  "Othello." 

By  this  time,  Foerster,  who,  when  Conried 
first  met  him,  had  been  a  leading  comedian  in 
Vienna,  had  become  chief  stage-manager  at  the 
Leipzig  Stadt  Theater.*  He  sent  for  his  young 
protegee,  and  Conried  received  an  engagement 
for  leading  roles, — along  with  Kainz,  Som- 
merstorff,  Pohl,  and  Ludwig  Barnay.  This 
was  in  1876.  Director  Angelo  Neumann  f  has 
written  in  retrospect  of  Foerster  and  of  those 
he  brought  with  him  to  Leipzig.  Though  Con- 
ried's  ambition  was  receiving  satisfaction,  his 
inordinate  pride  would  often  get  the  better  of 
him,  as  shown  in  the  following  anecdote. 

"Barnay,"  \  writes  Neumann,  "was  being 
starred  at  the  Stadt  Theater,  and  was  scheduled 
to  play  Othello  to  Conried's  lago.  At  rehearsal, 
there  arose  a  terrible  conflict  between  the  two 
actors.  Barnay,  aiming  to  give  a  realistic  pre- 
sentment of  the  Moor,  attempted  to  walk  all 
over  the  poor  Zfl^o-Conried,  who  was  by  no 

*  For  an  early  history  of  this  theatre,  see  K.  F.  Langhaus's 
"Das  Stadt  Theater  in  Leipzig." 

t  Director   of   the    Prague   Deutsches   Theater. 

J  For  a  biographical  sketch  of  Barnay,  see  Berlin  "Neuer 
Theater  Almanach,"  p.  53.  A  picture  of  Barnay  as  Mark  Antony 
is  also  to  be  found  in  the  New  York  Dramatic  Mirror,  December, 
1897,  p.  29.    Painting  by  Tadema. 


16  THE   LIFE   OF   HEINRICH    CONRIED 

means  stalwart.  In  his  'business,'  Barnay  wished 
to  kneel  on  Conried's  chest — and  Barnay  was 
by  no  means  a  light-weight.  Conried  objected, 
and  both  artists  complained  to  me.  My  only 
way  out  was  to  claim  that,  by  contract,  Con- 
ried was  not  bound  to  remain  physically  in- 
active, while  another  pounded  him  about  the 
stage.  But  when  the  evening  came,  even  though 
Barnay  was  at  last  convinced  that  he  must  seek 
some  other  way  of  depicting  the  Moor's  rage, 
Conried's  courage  failed  him,  and  he  lagged  be- 
hind in  the  scene,  much  to  the  undoing  of  Bar- 
nay, who  now  had  just  cause  for  complaint. 
Conried  had  shown  insubordination,  and  so  I 
gave  him  leave  to  look  elsewhere  for  a  position. 
This  dissolution  of  our  contract  at  that  moment 
was  a  fortunate  thing  for  Conried,  as  events 
proved." 

He  was  barely  twenty-one  years  of  age  when 
he  became  manager  of  the  Stadt  Theater  in 
Bremen,  under  very  remarkable  circumstances, 
and  with  very  remarkable  results.  In  1877,  he 
went  to  the  Municipal  Theater,  engaged  for 
first  character  parts.  "It  was  wonderful,"  said 
one  of  his  friends,  "that  a  young  man  should 
step  in  at  the  psychological  moment,  and  make 
such  a  success.  But  the  events  that  were  now 
to  happen,  made  him  in  after  years  very  dis- 


THE   LIFE    OF    HEINRICH    CONRIED  17 

satisfied  with  any  subordinate  position.  There- 
after, Heinrich  Conried  recognized  no  one  as 
above  him;  from  then  on,  he  adopted  an  im- 
perious manner  which  instilled  confidence  into 
those  under  him,  but  which  gained  for  him  many 
enemies.  Imagine  a  committee  of  singers  and 
actors  turning  to  a  mere  boy,  and  making  him 
their  chairman,  to  carry  on,  with  the  consent  of 
the  municipal  authorities,  their  theatrical  af- 
fairs." 

"From  that  moment,"  declared  Mr.  Emanuel 
Lederer,  "Conried  began  to  realize  his  mana- 
gerial capabilities.  For,  when  the  experiment 
was  finished,  it  was  found  that  he  had  paid 
all  of  the  actors  their  full  salaries.  Even  the 
arrears,  by  his  clever  arrangement,  were  made 
good  with  'stars'  of  the  first  rank,  like  the  great 
tenor,  Albert  Niemann,  who  proved  such  a 
drawing  card,  and  who  made  Conried's  initial 
venture  an  acknowledged  success.  Undoubtedly 
it  was  this  success,  the  talk  of  artistic  Bremen, 
which  drew  the  attention  of  many  theatrical 
managers  to  Conried.  Among  them  was  Neuen- 
dorff,  who  was  instrumental  in  bringing  him  to 
America." 

This  was  not  the  first  time  that  the  Stadt 
Theater  had  been  in  artistic  and  financial  difficul- 
ties.   History  records  that  the  years  1820,  1825, 


18  THE    LIFE   OF   HEINRICH    CONRIED 

1832,  and  1835,  were  dark  ones  for  that  institu- 
tion. But  when  Conried  joined  the  ranks,  the 
theatre  was  going  through  very  dire  straits, 
under  the  directorship  of  Ackermann,  a  man 
whose  antecedents  of  the  same  name  had  pos- 
sessed distinctive  reputation.  When  January 
1,  1878,  dawned,  there  was  no  money  in  the 
exchequer  for  the  payment  of  salaries.  On 
January  10,  Ackermann  declared  publicly  that 
he  was  insolvent.  A  corporation,  composed  of 
about  two  hundred  members,  was  penniless. 
The  actors  were  to  be  cast  out  of  work  in  the 
middle  of  a  season,  when  new  occupation  would 
be  difficult  to  find.  And  how  could  actors  Avith- 
out  any  money  go  elsewhere  to  seek  employ- 
ment? The  conditions  were  desperate,  even 
though  Ackermann  had  agreed  with  his  com- 
pany at  the  Stadt  Theater  that  they  should  con- 
tinue to  play  under  the  direction  of  a  committee 
selected   from  amongst   themselves. 

The  theatre  was  closed  for  a  few  days'  prep- 
aration, and,  on  January  3,  it  opened  with 
"Die  Sieben  Raben,"  a  fairy-tale  by  Emile 
Poll],  who  afterward  was  himself  to  become 
Director  of  the  Bremen  playhouse.  This  com- 
mittee, which  Ackermann  suggested,  was  formed 
of  nine  members:  William  Fuchs,  Dr.  Adolf 
Franckel,     Heinrich     Conried,     Kappelmeister 


A    SCENE    FROM    "GRINGOIRE."    WHEN    HEINRICH    CONRIED    WAS 
AN    ACTOR    AT    THE    BURG    THEATER 


THE    LIFE    OF    HEINRICH    CONRIED  19 

Arthur  Seidl,  Joseph  Niering,  Caesar  Schmockel, 
C.  A.  Helhnuth,  F.  Manns,  and  the  ballet- 
master,  Oscar  Polletin.  It  proved  to  be  too 
large — too  many  cooks  for  the  broth — and  so, 
by  January  7,  the  committee  had  dwindled  to 
three:  Regisseur  Wilhelm  Fuchs,  Dr.  Franckel, 
and  Conried.  The  latter  was  the  best  known 
to  Bremen  audiences,  for  they  had  often  seen 
him  play,  and  they  liked  his  Cassius  in  "Julius 
Casar,"  his  Lord  Buj'leigh  in  Laube's  "Essex," 
and  his  Gessler  in  Schiller's  "Wilhelm  Tell." 

The  press  and  the  public  immediately  gave 
recognition  to  Conried's  unexpected  energy  in 
the  handling  of  affairs.  He  readily  found  him- 
self supreme  ruler  and  dictator.  When  the  time 
came  to  part  from  his  associates,  they  gave  him 
a  heartfelt  testimonial,  for,  with  much  disinter- 
ested zeal,  he  had  weathered  them  through  a 
dreadful  storm. 

Madame  Cottrelly,  who  was  so  soon  after 
this  to  become  associated  with  Conried  in  Amer- 
ica, describes  graphically  the  scene,  when  the 
manager  of  the  Bremen  Theater  called  his  com- 
pany around  him  for  consultation.  What  would 
they  do?  Each  member  was  asked  for  some 
solution  out  of  the  difficulty.  When  Conried's 
turn  came,  everyone  was  surprised  to  see  him 
draw  a  paper  from  his  pocket.     What  did  this 


20  THE   LIFE   OF   HEINRICH    CONRIED 

mean?  It  meant  that  the  little  man,  with  the 
boyish  exterior,  had  come  to  the  meeting  pre- 
pared. He  had  all  the  salary  details  at  his 
fingers'  ends;  he  knew  v/hat  every  member  of 
the  theatre  staff  was  getting — from  the  director 
of  tragedy  to  the  director  of  light  opera.  He 
knew  to  a  dot  the  running  expenses  of  the 
Stadt  Theater. 

Madame  Cottrelly  continues :  "  *Now,'  sug- 
gested this  youth,  with  so  much  of  the  physical 
against  him,  'if  we  had  so  many  subscribers, 
they  would  cover  the  expenses  of  the  theatre. 
Certainly  there  are  sufficient  outside  friends  to 
help  us  in  this  respect.'  Then,  turning  to  his 
fellow  actors,  he  said,  'Will  you  be  willing  to 
receive,  as  salary,  a  percentage  of  what  comes 
in  from  the  public — the  j^ercentage  dependent 
upon  your  relative  worth,  as  I  estimate  it?' 
Those  who  had  come  to  the  meeting  were 
speechless.  The  facts  were  before  them,  and 
here  was  a  practical  suggestion  from  a  mere 
slip  of  a  lad." 

As  a  body,  they  saw  the  feasibility  of  the 
plan,  and  so  agreed,  with  a  real  show  of  en- 
thusiasm. And  who,  they  said,  should  be  the 
director  of  the  enterprise  as  outlined?  Surely, 
no  one  but  young  Conried  himself.  All  this 
brought   him   into   the   prominence   he    craved. 


THE   LIFE    OF    HEINRICH    CONRIED  21 

The  town  greeted  lilm  wildly,  and  at  the  close 
of  the  unjDrecedented  "run,"  he  was  given  a 
benefit. 

"Conried  was  now  very  ambitious  to  ad- 
vance," said  Madame  Cottrelly,  "but  the  Ger- 
mans move  slowly;  they  are  not,  as  they  are  in 
America,  on  the  go  all  the  time!  This  boy 
wanted  to  be  Ober-regisseur,  but  Germany  had 
a  traditional  prejudice  against  youth  for  re- 
sponsibility; such  a  post  should  be  given  an 
older  man.  Conried  must  wait.  It  was  then 
that  Neuendorff,  through  his  European  agent, 
heard  of  how  the  Bremen  Stadt  Theater  had 
been  managed;  and  it  w^as  then  that  he  went 
abroad  from  New  York  with  determination 
to  bring  the  boy  back  with  him.  The  promise 
of  position,  which  carried  a  salary  of  two  hun- 
dred dollars  a  month,  was  offered  him." 

Light-hearted  and  confident,  with  little  expe- 
rience, Conried  now  turned  his  face  toward 
America.  He  was  eager  for  any  and  every 
executive  responsibility.  There  was  that  within 
him  which  convinced  him  of  his  managerial 
talent.  He  realized  that  his  greatest  powers 
and  prospects  lay  along  this  line.  Thencefor- 
w^ard  he  gave  to  his  histrionic  accomplishments 
a  second  place  in  his  plans.  In  the  future  he 
would  be  a  great  manager.    The  early  training 


22  THE    LIFE    OF    HEINRICH    CONRIED 

he  had  just  gone  through  was  to  prove  in- 
valuable to  him  now.  He  left  Germany  with 
German  idealism  thoroughly  impregnating  his 
make-up,  and  with  thorough  belief  in  himself. 
And  these  two  elements  were  a  large  part  of 
the  character  of  Heinrich  Conried. 


CHAPTER    II 

In  New  York  Under  Adolf  Neuendorff.  The  German 
Theatre  in  1877.  Conried  as  a  "star";  becomes  stage- 
manager  for  Mathilde  Cottrelly.  The  Thalia  Theater: 
German  actors.  Conried  at  the  Star  Theatre,  and  at 
the  Academy  of  Music.  The  business  activity  of  Con- 
ried and  Goldmark.  The  Casino  Theatre:  stage-man- 
ager for  Rudolph  Aronson;  comic  operas  and  "stars" 
of  the  period.  The  Conried  Opera  Company.  Mar- 
riage; birth  of  a  son.  Barnay.  Citizenship.  The 
Ocean  Comfort  Company. 

HEINRICH  CONRIED  came  to  Amer- 
ica at  a  propitious  moment;  his  ad- 
vancement in  the  theatre  was  coinci- 
dent with  a  time  when  New  York  City  was 
ripe  for  a  German  theatre.  There  was  a  body 
of  German-American  citizens  who  still  had 
within  them  the  indomitable  spirit  of  '48.  The 
absence  of  this  spirit  would  in  no  way  have 
prevented  Conried  from  showing  his  manage- 
rial talent,  but  it  did  much  to  make  his  regime 
at  the  Irving  Place  Theatre  a  success.  Had 
Conried  been  the  Director  of  the  German 
Theatre  to-day,  he  would  not  have  found  his 
task  so  easy,  and  he  would  not  have  found 
the  German  audiences  so  loyal.  The  national 
spirit  is  American,  not  German,  and  the  new 


24  THE   LIFE    OF   HEINRICH    CONRIED 

generation  of  Germans  no  longer  thinks  in  the 
mother  tongue.  There  may  be  loyal  efforts 
manifest  on  all  sides  to  save  the  German  Thea- 
tre in  New  York,  now  that  the  older  genera- 
tion is  thinning  in  its  ranks;  but  there  is  small 
hope  for  its  future,  without  subsidy. 

Nevertheless,  the  German  Theatre  in  New 
York  City  has  a  distinctive  history.  Under 
Neuendorff,  Conried  was  brought  right  into  the 
midst  of  it.  The  only  theatre  critic  who  has 
treated  the  subject  adequately  is  Arthur  G. 
Abrecht;  he  has  given  the  history  in  a  news- 
paper article  *  worthy  of  more  permanent  form. 
It  is  generally  conceded  that  the  German  thea- 
tre evolved  from  a  dilettante  enthusiasm  dis- 
played at  the  German  Vereins.  In  these  so- 
cial gatherings,  private  theatricals  were  given, 
and  talent  was  eagerly  sought  for  among  the 
members.  On  Sundays,  plays  were  performed 
in  the  different  Verein  halls.  It  was  a  matter 
of  art  and  beer,  and  even  though  art  might  be 
bad,  the  beer  was  unfailingly  good.f 

*  I  am  indebted  to  Mr.  Abrecht  for  the  statements  herein  made 
as  to  the  history  of  the  German  theatre.  See  "Das  Deutsche 
Theater  in  N.  Y."  Sonntagsblatt  des  N.  Y.  Staats-Z eitung ,  April 
16,  1905. 

f  According  to  Mr.  Abrecht,  the  N.  Y.  Staats-Z  eitung  for 
February  7,  1840,  describes  a  performance  given  by  a  German 
Dramatic  Verein.  Performances  occurred  on  Sundays  in  the 
Franklin  Theatre.  Conried  was  later  to  give  Sunday  plays  under 
legal  restrictions  at  the  Irving  Place. 


MR.    CONRIKI)    AS    A    YOUNG    MAN    WHEN    PiE   FIRST    CAME 
TO    AMERICA 


THE   LIFE   OF   HEINRICH    CONRIED  25 

The  Franklin  Theatre,  on  Chatham  Street, 
was  the  first  house  to  employ  regular  profes- 
sional German  players.  The  admission  prices 
ranged  from  12%  cents  to  half  a  dollar;  Eman- 
uel Striese  was  the  Director.  Obviously,  there 
must  have  been  some  opposition  to  the  under- 
taking, for  I  find  the  record  of  a  theatrical  man 
trying  to  keep  the  people  from  patronizing  the 
German  plays.  This  prejudice  was  probably 
due  to  the  fact  that,  in  1840,  there  was  a  feeling 
against  identifying  the  Franklin  Theatre  as  a 
strictly  German  place  of  amusement. 

The  St.  Charles  Theatre,  19  Bowery,  is  next 
to  be  noted,  and  in  succession  there  followed 
Mitchell's  Olympic  Theatre,  of  422  Broad- 
way, which  was  renamed  by  the  Directors  the 
Deutsches  National  Theater;  Dramatic  Hall,  on 
Elizabeth  Street,  and  the  Lyceum  Theatre. 
Most  of  these  places  relied  very  largely  for  in- 
come upon  the  proceeds  from  the  bar,  and  Mr. 
Abrecht  states  that  had  it  not  been  for  the 
bar,  many  actors  of  the  time  might  have  had 
to  beg  for  salary. 

In  the  picturesque  person  of  Otto  von 
Hoym*  we  see  the  first  sign  of  order  in  the 

*  Hoym  left  the  stage  at  the  time  of  the  Civil  War,  and  aided 
in  the  organization  of  the  Forty-second  Regiment,  Volunteers  of 
New  York.  He  was  Captain  oif  Company  H.  As  a  prisoner,  he 
was  sent  to  TJbby  Prison.  In  1862-3,  he  reappeared  on  the  stage 
at  the  Stadt  Theater,  which  opened  in  1864,  at  45  Bowery,     The 


26  THE   LIFE   OF    HEINRICH    CONRIED 

history  of  the  New  York  German  Theatre. 
He  was  both  actor  and  manager,  and  found 
financial  backing  in  Edward  Haman.  The 
Deutsches  Stadt  Theater  (1854-64)  was  the 
first  German  playhouse  in  the  city  to  meet  with 
pronounced  success.  Indeed,  business  was  so 
large  that  the  management  was  obliged  to  look 
for  more  ample  quarters.  Here,  the  habit  of 
making  "guesting'*  engagements  was  instituted, 
Daniel  Bandmann  being  the  first  "guest." 
Among  the  other  actors  employed  in  the  com- 
pany were  Eleonore  Hiibner,  Alexander  Pfeif- 
fer,  Caroline  Lindemann,  and  Frau  Elise 
linger.  The  Hoym  company  also  acted  there, 
and  in  the  orchestra  Adolph  Neuendorff  was 
beating  a  drum. 

The  next  German  theatre  was  located  in  the 
Palace  of  Mirrors,  at  585  Broadway,  a  place 
later  given  over  to  musical  pieces,  for  Lillian 
Russell,  Nat  C.  Goodwin  and  Francis  Wilson 
appeared  there. 

The  name  of  Neuendorff  now  becomes  prom- 
inent in  the  history  of  the  New  York  German 
Theatre.  He  had  come,  as  an  emigrant,  from 
Hamburg,  and  had  been  educated  in  the  city 

Assistant  Director  was  Edward  Haman.  In  1867,  Hoym  retired, 
because  of  eye  trouble,  and  returned  to  Germany,  where  he  died 
in  1873.  Haman,  left  to  himself  and  his  friends,  lost  most  of  his 
money,  and  was  obliged  to  go  into  bankruptcy.  The  theatre  was 
closed  in  1872. 


THE   LIFE   OF    HEINRICH    CONRIED  27 

schools.  In  1856,  living  in  the  same  house  with 
Joseph  Weinlich,  a  German  basso,  singing  at 
Niblo's  Garden,  Neuendorff  was  taught  the  vio- 
lin. Through  this  violin  he  made  the  friendship 
of  the  orchestral  director  of  the  Stadt  Theater, 
who  allowed  him  to  beat  the  drum,  and  who  in 
other  ways  became  his  friend.  Then  Neuen- 
dorff  found  himself  director  of  the  chorus,  and 
included  among  the  second  fiddles;  and  then,  in 
succession,  he  became  concert-meister  and  as- 
sistant director. 

He  did  everything  to  earn  a  living — even 
fiddling  at  balls  and  dances;  and  while  he  was 
beating  a  drum,  he  earned  the  munificent  salary 
of  one  dollar  and  fifty  cents  a  week.  Versatil- 
ity must  have  been  his  dominant  characteristic, 
for  we  note  that,  in  1857,  under  the  tutelage 
of  Dr.  Gustav  Schilling,  he  played  the  piano 
so  well  that  he  was  featured  on  programmes  as 
the  fourteen-year-old  prodig5^ 

Neuendorff's  experience  at  the  Academy  of 
Music  is  part  of  operatic  history.  It  was  he 
who  first  introduced  "Lohengrin"  and  also  "Die 
Meistersinger"  to  American  audiences.  In  fact, 
German  Opera  under  his  direction  had  a  hear- 
ing long  before  it  was  given  at  the  Metropoli- 
tan Opera  House.*     The  German  Theatre,  in 

*  See  "Chapters  of  Opera,"  Krehbiel. 


28  THE   LIFE   OF    HEINRICH    CONRIED 

accord  with  the  Continental  idea,  was  in  the 
habit  of  inchiding  much  music  in  the  year's 
repertory.  This  had  been  the  custom  at  the 
Stadt  Theater,  and  when  Neuendorff  opened 
his  own  Germania  Theater,  on  the  present  site 
of  Tammany  Hall,*  he  continued  the  policy. 
He  was  wise  in  beginning  carefully,  for  he  had 
competitors  in  the  field  in  the  persons  of  Ha- 
man  and  Rosenthal. 

He  labored  under  many  disadvantages  when 
he  opened  in  1872.  As  he  himself  declared: 
"In  the  first  period  of  the  German  Theatre,  we 
had  to  battle  with  all  kinds  of  obstacles,  inas- 
much as  the  depth  of  the  stage  carried  only 
three  'Kulissen,'  and  the  entrances  and  exits 
were  only  possible  from  one  side.  Hence  it 
was  that  the  alternations  of  these  entrances  and 
exits  had  to  be  figured  out  constantly  during 
the  intermissions  between  the  acts.  Once,  it 
happened  that  Merton  was  late,  arriving  after 
the  curtain  had  risen  on  the  first  act.  In  order 
to  reach  his  wardrobe,  he  had  to  walk  across 
stage  during  performance;  but  how  to  do  so 
without  attracting  attention  was  the  question. 
We  were  giving  at  the  time  the  'Spitzen  Koni- 
gin,'  and  the  first  act  scene  was  a  restaurant. 

*  In  fact,  part  of  the  old  stage  is  still  standing  in  the  building 
now  on  Fourteenth  Street. 


THE   LIFE    OF   HEINRICH    CONRIED  29 

JMerton  went  to  the  buffet  on  the  stage,  drank  a 
cognac,  and  then  walked  off  to  the  dressing- 
room.  In  the  second  season,  everything  was 
different;  we  had  a  double  depth  of  stage.  To 
make  this  change,  we  were  forced  to  break 
through  a  wall,  and  to  take  out  not  less  than 
fifty-three  thousand  bricks." 

The  opening  season  was  a  brilliant  one.  It 
is  well  to  mention  those  whom  Neuendorff  *  en- 
gaged, for  the  list  includes  many  people  who 
were  afterward  to  be  associated  with  Heinrich 
Conried.  There  were  Scherenberg,  Einecke, 
Keszler,  Witt,  Merton,  Collmer,  Weinacht, 
Hirsch,  Weisheit,  von  Ernest,  Ravene,  Schaffer, 
Schroder,  Schmitz,  Hiibner,  Gilbert,  Hirsch- 
Podolska.  Among  the  "guests"  may  be  named 
Bernhard  Rank,  Franz  Kierschner,  Mathilda 
Cottrelly,  H.  Raberg,  Franz  Rainau,  Max 
Freeman,  Carl  Schonfeld,  Miihlbach-Mundt, 
Urban,  Rackowitza,  Grieben,  Sauer,  Necker, 
Bensberg,  Carl  Hauser,  Panzer,  Kahler,  Geor- 
gine  von  Januschowsky,  Magda  Irschick,  Kathi 
Schratt,  and  Marie  Seebach. 

*  Neuendorff's  final  failure  was  largely  due  to  the  shallowness 
of  his  repertoires.  For  he  relisd  too  much  upon  farces.  Also 
there  was  a  rival  in  the  Thalia  Theater.  In  1881,  Neuendorff  gave 
up.  He  went  over  to  the  Star  Theatre,  but  his  career  there  was 
short-lived,  inasmuch  as  he  surrendered  that  house  to  Lester 
AVallack  in  1883.  His  last  venture  proved  even  more  of  a  failure. 
He  became  Director,  In  1885,  of  the  McKee  Rankin  Third  Avenue 
Theatre,  and  kept  open  only  a  fortnight. 


30  THE   LIFE   OF   HEINRICH    CONRIED 

According  to  Mr.  Abrecht,  Conried's  name 
appears  in  the  Staats-Zeitung  for  the  first  time 
on  August  4,  1878.  The  occasion  was  an  an- 
nouncement, in  the  theatrical  columns,  of  the 
fact  that  Heinrich  Conried,  engaged  to  direct 
dramas  and  comedies  at  the  Germania  Theater, 
was  himself  a  capable  character  actor.  In  the 
same  paper,  for  September  22  of  that  year, 
his  first  appearance  in  the  part  of  Gringoire 
was  discussed.  So  well  was  his  work  in  "Die 
Rauber"  liked,  that  it  was  not  an  unusual  thing 
for  him  to  be  called  before  the  curtain  many 
times.  All  critics  commented  on  his  superior 
method  of  reading  poetry.  He  also  won  favor 
as  Dr,  Klaus.  But  it  seems  that  he  chafed 
even  here;  not  enough  power  was  given  him. 
The  truth  seems  to  be  that  Conried  was  over- 
confident of  his  powers,  and  had  the  starring 
bee  in  his  bonnet.  No  wonder,  therefore,  that, 
in  1880,  he  was  touring  the  country  at  the  head 
of  a  German  company,  visiting  such  cities  as 
Philadelphia,  Buffalo,  Cincinnati  and  Detroit. 
It  was  probably  on  this  tour  that  he  began  to 
speak  English. 

In  those  days  it  was  difficult  for  him  to  make 
both  ends  meet;  therefore,  any  occupation  along 
his  line  that  came  his  way  was  not  beneath 
Conried.      One   of   his   ventures    at   this    time 


THE   LIFE    OF    IlEINKICH    CONRIED  31 

seems  never  to  have  amounted  to  much;  it  was, 
nevertheless,  in  accord  with  the  pride  upper- 
most in  his  nature.  This  was  his  musical  man- 
agement of  Bronislaw  Huberman,  the  violinist. 
But  the  engagement  did  not  add  to  his  wealth. 
Nevertheless,  his  personality  was  winning  him 
many  friends;  he  was  cultivating  some  of  the 
most  wealthy  of  the  German  citizens — those 
who  were  later  to  prove  of  such  value  to  him. 

A  personal  touch  may  be  added  to  our  nar- 
rative by  allowing  Madame  Cottrelly  to  speak 
in  reminiscence.  As  she  ransacked  her  memory 
for  incidents  that  took  place  at  this  time,  as 
she  tried  to  recall  her  association  with  Mr.  Con- 
ried,  her  conversation  was  filled  with  color. 

"Conried  was  a  little  man,"  she  said,  "hardly 
twenty  when  he  was  at  the  Bremen  Stadt  Thea- 
ter. He  stage-managed  only  for  drama  during 
his  tenure,  there  being  other  directors  for  com- 
edy and  for  light  opera.  In  those  days,  Conried 
was  all  for  tragedy;  nothing  else  interested  him; 
and,  being  extremely  j^oung,  he  found  it  diffi- 
cult to  adapt  himself  to  character  roles.  Be- 
sides which,  he  took  no  pains  with  what  did  not 
interest  him.  Often  he  was  careless  in  his  study 
of  parts.  As  stage-manager,  he  was  terribly 
exacting  of  others,  but  when  it  came  his  turn 
to  be  depended  on,  he  gave  no  effort  in  return, 


32  THE   LIFE    OF    HEINRICH    CONRIED 

and  resented  being  asked.  That  is  what  I 
found  when  he  came  to  the  Thalia  Theater, 
which  was  under  my  management;  a  time  ar- 
rived when  my  actors  refused  to  work  with 
him.  The  fault  was  a  limitation  in  his  char- 
acter, which  others  were  later  to  comment  upon. 
Had  Neuendorff  been  willing  to  present  other 
than  modern  comedies,  had  he  consented  to 
satisfy  the  ambition  of  his  youthful  stage-man- 
ager by  offering  more  classical  dramas,  the 
young  man  might  have  stayed  with  him  longer, 
might,  indeed  have  remained  with  him  several 
seasons.  For  he  was  receiving  two  hundred 
dollars  a  month — a  fairly  good  salary  for  the 
German  Theater  to  give — a  salary  I  gave  him 
when  he  came  to  the  Thalia. 

"But  Neuendorff  persisted  in  his  policy. 
Tuesdays  alone  were  devoted  to  the  standard 
plays.  Conried's  voice  was  good,  but,  because 
of  his  physical  defects,  Neuendorff  could  not 
use  him  three-quarters  of  the  time.  Whatever 
his  reasons  for  adopting  his  repertoires,  and 
keeping  them  popular,  the  manager  of  the  Ger- 
mania  Theater  did  not  show  great  enthusiasm 
about  his  playhouse.  In  fact,  he  was  hardly 
ever  there;  he  was  more  interested  in  producing 
Wagner  at  the  Academy  of  Music. 

"Conried,   then   a   bachelor,   was   living   over 


THE   IJFE    OF    HEINRICH    CONRIED  33 

Fleiscliniann's  bakery.  It  was  in  this  way  that 
he  met  his  friend,  Carl  Herman,  a  wealthy 
German,  and  brother  of  Mrs.  Fleischmann. 
Another  wealthy  German  in  this  city  was  Mr. 
Bleier.  These  two  men  took  an  interest  in 
Conried;  his  personality  was  such  as  to  inspire 
in  them  great  confidence  as  to  his  future.  It 
can  be  easily  realized  how  a  person  of  Conried's 
nature  and  ambitions  could  conceive  a  plan  in 
opposition  to  Neuendorff.  After  talking  it 
over,  these  rich  men,  seen  about  Fleischmann's, 
agreed  to  back  Conried,  it  being  understood 
that  he  was  to  secure  the  theatre,  while  they 
would  supply  the  money. 

"It  happened  that  Stetson's  Fifth  Avenue 
Theatre  loomed  up  as  the  one  house  available. 
Conried's  plan  was  to  procure  a  large  subscrip- 
tion as  guarantee.  These  negotiations  were  all 
supposed  to  be  carried  on  as  a  big  secret,  but, 
unfortunately  for  Conried,  the  matter  got  into 
the  papers.  I  was  then  in  California,"  con- 
tinued Madame  Cottrelly,  "having  been  with 
Neuendorff  two  years  previously. 

"William  Kramer,  of  the  Atlantic  Garden, 
had  bought  the  Bowery  Theatre,  in  the  hopes 
that  some  day  he  would  have  a  big  Volks  Thea- 
ter, with  a  brilliant  repertory.  He  wanted  me 
under  contract  with  him,  and,  as  Gustav  Am- 


34  THE   IJFE   OF    HEINRICH    CONRIED 

berg  had  been  my  manager  on  my  tour  through 
the  United  States,  it  was  through  him  that  I 
was  engaged  by  Kramer.  In  one  day  the  con- 
tracts were  drawn  up  and  signed,  the  name  of 
the  theatre  was  changed  from  the  Bowery  to 
the  Thalia,  and  I  was  on  my  way  to  Europe  to 
engage  talent  for  the  first  season.  Amberg 
was  to  be  the  business-manager,  while  I  was 
given  entire  control  of  the  stage. 

"I  did  not  know  Mr.  Conried  then;  but,  on 
the  other  hand,  his  backers  in  the  new  venture 
knew  me,  and  they  fully  realized  that  in  New 
York  there  was  no  room  for  three  German 
theatres.  I  had  a  larger  reputation  in  the 
community  than  Mr.  Conried,  and  could  boast 
of  a  valuable  following.  Herman  and  Bleier, 
therefore,  advised  Conried  to  make  advances  to 
his  competitors,  and  manage  in  some  way  to 
ingratiate  himself  with  Kramer.  The  outcome 
of  the  interview  was  that  he  expressed  himself 
as  willing  to  join  the  force  I  was  then  organ- 
izing. The  young  man  had  won  for  himself 
sufficient  popularity  to  warrant  my  engaging 
him.  He  was  not  to  be  'Ober-regisseur,'  as  he 
wished  to  be,  for  it  was  understood  that  I  was 
the  only  *Ober'  in  the  organization.  He  re- 
mained with  me  one  season,  and  was  entirely 
satisfactory,   even   though   unnecessarily   severe 


THE   LIFE    OF    HEINRICH    CONRIED  35 

to  those  under  him.  What  we  did  at  the  theatre 
during  that  period  is  recounted  in  the  German 
Revue,  which,  about  seven  years  ago,  compiled 
a  long  history  of  the  Thalia. 

"Youthful  Conried  was  very  serious  in  those 
days;  he  had  put  a  large  and  not  unwarranted 
value  upon  himself.  The  audiences  in  the  Bow- 
ery wanted  comediettas,  but  Conried  was  loath 
to  give  them  what  they  wanted.  It  was  not  to 
his  artistic  taste.  While  with  me,  he  gave  Schil- 
ler's *Jungfrau  von  Orleans';  it  was  sumptu- 
ously mounted,  and  ran  for  two  weeks.  Sev- 
enty 'supers'  disported  themselves  on  the  stage 
in  silver  armor.  In  outward  glamor,  the  pro- 
duction was  reminiscent  of  the  Burg  Theater, 
but  such  productions  were  so  expensive  they 
could  only  be  given  once  in  a  long  while.  Alas ! 
the  classics  did  not  make  money  in  the  German 
Theatre. 

"During  my  second  year,"  said  Madame 
Cottrelly,  "Conried  went  West  on  a  starring 
engagement.  Then  the  third  year  arrived,  and 
his  backers  bought  my  interests  in  the  Thalia 
for  five  thousand  dollars.  In  the  spring  of 
1881,  Conried,  Herman  and  Amberg  came  into 
possession  of  the  theatre.  Their  first  real  suc- 
cess was  with  'The  Merry  War.' 

"Our  paths  were  to  cross  many  times  after 


36  THE   LIFE    OF    HEINRICH    CONRIED 

that.  For  instance,  there  was  a  period  when  I 
controlled  in  America  the  contracts  for  all 
German  comedies  and  operas.  Among  Mr. 
Conried's  papers  there  may  still  be  in  existence 
some  letter-heads  of  the  firm  of  Goldmark, 
Cottrelly  &  Conried.  I  was  no  business  woman 
in  those  days,  and  soon  found  myself  over- 
clouded by  my  partners.  They  were  brushing 
me  aside.  My  own  professional  duties  were 
taking  up  a  large  part  of  my  time.  The  last 
actual  business  relation  I  had  with  Mr.  Con- 
ried was  while  I  was  singing  in  the  McCaull 
Opera  "Company,  during  our  Casino  engage- 
ment in  the  fall  of  1883.  Oftentimes  I  re- 
member that  I  was  enabled  to  negotiate  with 
McCaull  for  operas  Goldmark  and  Conried 
wished  to  sell,  and  on  many  occasions,  when 
they  were  hard  pressed,  I  obtained  advance 
payments  for  them  on  the  gamble  that  they 
might  have  some  money-making  importation 
next  season  which  McCaull  would  want  to  pro- 
duce. For  McCaull  at  that  time  was  giving 
summer  opera  at  Wallack's.* 

*  The  relations  of  a  business  nature  which  existed  between 
McCaull  and  Conried  must  have  been  satisfactory,  if  letters  are 
to  be  believed: 

December  7,  1883. 
My   Dear   Sik:    I  have  just   learned    of   your   departure    for 
Europe  with  a  view  to  perfecting  arrangements  in  regard  to  the 
future  control  of  German  works  in  America.     In  saying  "Good- 
bye," I  take  great  pleasure  in  emphasizing  that  in  all  my  relations 


CONRIED    AS    A    CHARACTER    ACTOR 


THE    LIFE    OF    IIEINRICH    CONRIED  37 

"As  I  remember  him,  Mr.  Conried  was  al- 
ways preoccupied  off  the  stage;  his  enemies 
were  those  he  least  suspected,  and,  strange 
to  say,  most  prominent  among  them  was  him- 
self. For  his  imperious  manner  made  people 
dislike  him.  I  have  pictures  of  him  with  most 
loving  inscriptions  written  upon  them.  I  have 
been  in  his  presence  when  he  was  up  to  the 
most  delightful  pranks.  But  he  could  so  easily 
forget  you!  This  was  largely  due  to  the  fact 
that,  when  he  became  engrossed  in  one  par- 
ticular thing,  he  forgot  everything  else.  I  have 
seen  him  promise  to  give  people  seats  for  a 
night's  performance,  and,  when  they  arrived, 
say,  almost  rudely,  that  there  was  no  free  list! 
He  was  lacking  in  those  small  courtesies  which 
people  like.  Shall  we  say  that  his  actions  were 
the  results  of  thoughtlessness?  After  he  be- 
came Director  of  the  Opera  House,  I  was  able 
to  be  of  service  to  him  once  more.  He  was 
giving    Tledermaus,'    the    book    of   which    had 

with  you,  either  of  a  business  or  a  personal  nature,  I  have  ever 
found  you  to  be  a  courageous  gentleman,  and  a  correct,  upright 
business  man,  your  word  being  your  bond  in  both  relations.  I 
shall  look  forward  to  a  continuance  of  our  present  felicitous  rela- 
tions with  anticipation  of  both  profit  and  pleasure.  Wishing  yoxi 
Godspeed, 

I  am,  my  dear  Conried, 

Sincerely  yours, 

Jno.  a.  McCaull. 

For  a  cartoon  of  McCaull,  see  The  Theatre  (N.  Y.),  July  27, 
1887,  p.  247. 


38  THE   LIFE   OF   HEINRICH    CONRIED 

never  been  published.  Fortunately,  I  had  a 
copy,  and  I  remember  Herman's  coming  for 
it.  Taking  it  all  in  all,  I  think  Mr.  Conried 
was  an  interesting  and  a  very  earnest  man.  I 
knew  him  first  when  he  possessed  genius  far 
above  his  age,  and  even  then  one  might  have 
prophesied  that  he  would  reach  the  exalted 
position  in  the  managerial  world  he  afterward 
attained." 

Herman's  father  had  been  a  regimental  sur- 
geon in  the  Austrian  army,  and,  in  the  '60's,  was 
physician  to  the  Conried  family.  As  a  boy, 
therefore,  Conried  was  known  to  Herman.  In 
later  years  the  two  often  exchanged  remi- 
niscences of  those  days.  Herman  himself  had 
been  a  former  lieutenant  in  the  Austrian  army. 
He  was  a  noted  horseman,  much  to  the  discom- 
fort of  Conried,  who,  at  one  time,  took  morning 
rides  in  the  Park  with  his  partner.  Conried 
would  not  be  daunted,  and,  though  he  had  not 
ridden  much  to  speak  of  for  years,  he  would 
not  now  confess  it  to  Herman.  One  morning 
they  were  well  on  a  country  road;  Conried's 
horse  began  to  trot.  When  he  could  stand  it — 
or  rather  sit  it — no  longer,  he  looked  about  him 
for  means  of  escape.  Passing  a  tree,  with  a 
stout  branch  not  far  overhead,  he  made  a  reach 
for  the  limb,  caught  it,  and  raised  himself  from 


THE   LIFE   OF   HEINRICH   CONRIED  39 

the  saddle.  "Go  along!"  he  cried,  as  the  horse 
shot  from  under  him;  "I've  had  enough  for  one 
day." 

Conried  was  in  partnership  with  Herman 
until  the  spring  of  1883,  after  which  he  devoted 
himself  to  the  play-brokerage  business  which 
Madame  Cottrelly  has  mentioned.  Gustav  Am- 
berg  continued  his  relations  with  the  Thalia 
Theater,  and,  while  under  Conried's  artistic 
guidance,  a  season  of  operettas  was  inaugurated. 
Conried  was  in  a  position  to  do  this,  for  he 
was  beginning  to  bring  over  to  America  all 
the  operatic  works  of  the  Viennese  composers. 
Both  Conried  and  Amberg  have  claimed  the 
honors  of  first  introducing  to  New  York  some 
of  the  best  known  German  actors.  Conried 
doubtless  thought  himself  largely  instrumental 
in  inducing  Sonnenthal,  Barnay,  Gallmeyer, 
Niemann-Rabe,  and  Mitterwurzer  *  to  come  to 
America.  Amberg  asserts  that  he  was  respon- 
sible for  their  coming.  Whatever  the  situation, 
it  is  well  to  record  that  at  this  time  Conried 
became  personally  associated  with  these  players. 
In  fact,  some  of  the  best  acting  in  the  history 
of  the  German  theatre  occurred  during  these 

*  An  account  of  Mitterwurzer,  known  among  his  friends  as 
"the  nervous  man,"  can  be  found  in  Freund's  "Music  and  Drama," 
March  20,  1886. 


40  THE   LIFE   OF    HEINRICH    CONRIED 

early  years.  In  the  second  season  of  the  Thalia, 
Geistinger  arrived.*  The  whole  city  wondered 
at  her  versatility;  she  could  play  farce,  serious 
drama,  and  comedy  in  succession,  and  then 
make  a  great  success  in  operetta.  People  from 
Fifth  Avenue  flocked  to  the  Bowery.  They 
revelled  in  her  "Grozherzogin  von  Geroldstein," 
her  "Boccaccio,"  "Therese  Krones,"  "Naherin," 
"Cameliendame,"  and  her  "Donna  Diana." 
These  plays  exhibited  her  striking  versatility. 
Having  come  over  with  a  guarantee  of  eighteen 
thousand  dollars,  she  returned  to  Vienna  with 
fifty  thousand  dollars  instead,  Cottrelly  having 
earned  as  much,  some  historians  claim,  so  ex- 
ceptional were  the  profits. 

While  Conried  was  in  artistic  charge  of  the 
Thalia,  his  operetta  success  was  unusual  in 
New  York.  But,  in  spite  of  the  fact  that  the 
house  cleared  seven  hundred  dollars  daily,  at 
the  end  of  the  season  there  was  a  deficit  of 
some  forty  thousand  dollars.  Rumor  claims 
that  Herman  lost  nearly  one  hundred  thousand 
dollars  in  his  first  managerial  splurge  with  Con- 
ried. Such  is  the  hazard  of  the  theatre  busi- 
ness. Conried  had  himself  made  nothing  out 
of  the  venture. 

*  According  to  Amberg,  Geistinger  played  at  the  Thalia  with 
Cottrelly;  then  went  to  the  Star  Theatre.  At  tlie  age  of  sixty-two, 
she  was  at  the  Germania  Theater,  on  Eighth  Street. 


THE   LIFE    OF    HEINRICH    CONRIED  41 

During  1883,  he  was  one  of  the  teachers  in  a 
Mrs.  Froehhch's  private  school,  20  East  50th 
Street,  and  in  addition  he  was  coaching  people 
in  private  theatricals.  I  have  been  told  by 
those  who  kncAv  him  at  the  time,  that  his  pride 
often  went  so  far  as  to  make  him  refuse  pay  for 
his  services  as  theatrical  coach.  Once  a  wealthy 
lady,  indebted  to  Conried  for  such  services,  sent 
him,  in  token  of  appreciation,  a  handsome 
bronze.  Immediately  he  had  the  present  val- 
ued, and  sent  the  equivalent  back  in  flowers. 

In  1881-82,  Amberg  and  Herman  ran  the 
Thalia  Theater  together;  then  Amberg  resigned 
for  a  season,  only  to  return  in  1883.  He  re- 
mained until  1888,  when  he  went  over  to  the 
Irving  Place  Theatre.  There  were  many  legal 
disputes  between  Conried  and  Amberg — large 
and  small  ones — but  time  has  effaced  them,  and 
they  are  not  significant  in  the  history  of  the 
German  Theatre.  Those  who  are  in  the  play- 
broker  business  are  obliged  to  conflict;  there  are 
legal  complications  in  every  trade. 

"I  shall  never  forget,"  said  Mr.  Amberg, 
"the  day  Conried  came  and  tried  to  scare  us 
into  giving  up  the  Thalia  Theater  idea,  so  that 
he  might  have  free  swing.  I  remember,  when 
he  called  on  me  that  morning,  he  Avore  a  stove- 
pipe hat,   and   flaunted  red   kid  gloves — very 


42  THE   LIFE   OF   HEINRICH    CONRIED 

much  the  German  actor.  He  told  me  all  about 
his  subscrij)tion  plans,  and  declared  that  over 
forty  thousand  dollars  had  been  subscribed. 
He  returned  three  days  after,  with  the  only 
proposal  left  him.  'I  will  give  up  my  theatre 
idea,'  he  said,  'if  you  will  give  me  a  job.'  I 
recollect  that  his  first  appearance  under  our 
management  was  in  Schiller's  'Kabale  und 
Liebe.'  One  night,  while  we  were  giving  'The 
Robbers,'  he  forgot  a  long  speech,  and  the  cur- 
tain had  to  be  rung  down  right  in  the  middle 
of  a  scene.  During  those  days,  Conried  could 
always  be  found  at  the  Progress  Club  on  Sun- 
days, playing  poker.  He  was  still  very  much  the 
German,  and  ever  the  superior  person.  He 
fretted  to  see  anyone  above  him,  and  he  was 
always  planning  to  free  himself  of  others.  In 
those  early  days,  I  recollect  the  friends  who 
used  to  gather  at  Fleischmann's  for  luncheon, 
Conried  the  centre  of  conversation.  Jonas,  the 
architect,  was  there,  as  were  Herman,  Bleier, 
and  Fleischmann.  The  latter's  family  was 
very  close  to  Conried.  Mrs.  Udo  Brachvogel, 
whose  husband  was  dramatic  critic  for  the 
Staats-Zeitung,  was  a  relative  of  Louis  Fleisch- 
mann, and  saw  much  of  Conried.  It  was  dur- 
ing the  Thalia  association  that  Mr.  Sperling's 
daughter  first  became  known  to  Conried,  and 


THE   LIFE   OF   HEINRICH    CONRIED  43 

it  was  not  long  after  their  meeting,  it  seems 
to  me,  that  I  heard  of  their  engagement." 

The  firm  of  Goldmark  &  Conried  began 
business  in  the  early  '80's.  Goldmark  was  the 
elder  man  of  the  two,  and  had  come  into  com- 
petition with  Conried  in  Vienna,  where  they 
were  both  working  along  the  same  theatrical 
lines.  The  clash  was  not  so  insuperable  that 
it  prevented  each  from  making  overtures  to 
the  other,  and  the  result  was  a  partnership. 
One  of  the  silent  members  of  the  concern  was 
Carl  Herman,*  and  the  organization  existed  up 
to  1893-94.  Into  their  office,  which  was  on  West 
42d  Street,  near  Fifth  Avenue,  there  came  like- 
wise Emanuel  Lederer,  who,  though  separate 
from  them,  lent  his  experience  to  Conried,  and 
often  worked  with  him  on  particular  deals. 

Mr.  Lederer  had  met  Conried  in  Ger- 
many during  the  Berlin  days  in  the  '70's.  Again 
the  two  had  crossed  paths  when  Conried,  in 
1881,  went  to  Berlin  to  engage  actors  for  the 
Thalia  Theater.  From  1889  to  1891,  Lederer 
was  a  constant  visitor  at  Conried's  house.  He 
is,  therefore,  able  in  memory  to  recall  the  man- 
ager-actor in  poverty  and  prosperity. 

To-day  there  are  many  evidences  of  the  old 

*  Jenny  Stubl,  a  souhrette  from  the  Friedrich  Wilhelm  Stadt 
Theater,  was,  for  a  while,  under  the  managrement  of  Herman 
and  Conried.     She  eventually  conunitted  suicide. 


44  THE   LIFE   OF   HEINRICH    CONRIED 

regime  in  the  same  office;  Herman's  name  is 
still  on  the  door,  and  the  selfsame  old-fash- 
ioned fm-niture  recalls  an  atmosphere  of  the  old 
firm.  But  Mr.  Lederer  is  the  only  one  in 
possession. 

During  his  activity  as  play-broker,  Conried 
never  gave  up  his  managerial  ambitions.  In 
March,  1888,  during  the  month  of  the  famous 
Nevi^  York  blizzard,  he  presented  Barnay  at  the 
Academy  of  Music,  and  then  entered  into  an 
arrangement  with  Amberg,*  whereby  his  "star" 
might  play  with  Possart  and  Gertrude  Giers 
at  the  Thalia.  Conried  and  Barnay  t  were  al- 
ways bickering,  and  relations  between  them 
reached  such  a  state  at  one  time  that,  while 
Barnay  was  on  tour,  he  left  Conried  in  the 
lurch,  and  the  latter  was  obliged  to  take  his 
"star's"  place  in  the  company.  The  quarrel 
was  finally  cleared  up,  and  it  must  have  been 
particularly  satisfying  for  Conried  to  prove  to 
his  rival  that  he  could  do  very  well  without  him. 
For,   during  the  tour,   which   Conried  finished 

*  Niemann-Raabe  was  under  Conried  at  the  Star  Theatre,  play- 
ing in  opposition  to  Amberg  at  the  Thalia.  Though  Possart  came 
several  times  to  this  country,  he  was  not  under  Conried's  direct 
management,  according  to  Amberg.  Yet  I  have  a  contract  for 
the  year  1902.  For  pictures,  see  Theatre  Magazine  (N.  Y.), 
January  23,  1888,  frontispiece  and  p.  533.  Article  by  Gertrude 
Norman,  Theatre  Magazine,  May,  1905. 

f  An  account  of  Ludwig  Barnay  may  be  found  in  the  Neuer 
Theater  Almanach,  p.  53. 


THE    LIFE    OF    HEINRICH    CONRIED  45 

out,  he  met  with  unexpected  success.  So  at- 
tractive was  he  as  Dj\  Klaus  and  as  Franz 
Moor,  that  the  financial  returns  were  large. 
In  Chicago  and  St.  Louis,  especially,  business 
was  far  above  expectations.  Whatever  profits 
the  firm  of  Goldmark  &  Conried  made  were 
tied  up  in  these  managerial  ventures.  So  va- 
ried were  the  activities  of  Heinrich  Conried, 
after  he  left  the  Thalia,  that  his  interests  over- 
lapped; the  one  involved  the  other.  Amberg 
states  that  the  reason  he  was  appointed  to  a 
position  as  stage-manager  for  Rudolph  Aron- 
son  at  the  new  Casino  Theatre  was  that,  as 
play-broker,  he  possessed  a  monopoly  of  those 
Viennese  operettas  Aronson  most  desired.  But 
it  is  likewise  as  true  that,  as  a  stage-manager, 
Conried  had  gained  for  himself  considerable 
reputation.  "He  used  to  quarrel  with  the  big 
people  in  the  company,"  someone  told  me,  "but 
with  the  'supers'  he  was  positively  a  genius. 
It  was  with  his  chorus  at  the  Casino  that  he 
again  won  comment." 

In  the  oflice  of  Goldmark  &  Conried  we  note 
those  forces  working  which  pointed  toward  the 
Metropolitan  Opera  House,  for  it  was  with  this 
firm  that  the  first  Wagner  contracts  were  made. 
Indeed,  after  Conried's  Casino  experience,  v/hen 
he  formed  an  opera  company  for  himself,  he 


46  THE    LIFE    OF   HEINRICH    CONRIED 

tried  to  make  arrangements  with  Colonel  Stan- 
ton, then  Impresario,  to  rent  the  Metropolitan 
for  a  season  of  light  opera. 

Let  us  examine  each  of  these  overlapping 
interests  in  its  turn,  therefore,  and,  since  Con- 
ried's  play  business  was  so  largely  musical,  it  is 
well  to  see  what  his  letter-books  of  the  period 
record.  The  index  indicates  correspondence 
with  Modjeska,  McCaull,  Helen  Dauvray, 
Fanny  Davenport,  Rose  Coghlan,  Rudolph 
Aronson,  Augustin  Daly,  and  Daniel  Froh- 
man — mostly  relating  to  German  manuscripts, 
and  written  in  a  surprisingly  obsequious  tone. 
But  these  letters  also  show  the  keen  business 
qualities  uppermost  in  Heinrich  Conried;  in 
no  transaction  was  he  ever  blind  to  future 
possibilities.  The  tone  of  his  correspondence 
is  direct;  he  showed  no  doubt  as  to  what  he 
wanted. 

To  Emma  Abbott  he  wrote,  August  28,  1886: 
Dear  Madam: 

I  have  seen  in  several  New  York  papers  that, 
among  the  novelties  to  be  produced  by  you 
next  season,  you  announce  "The  Queen  of  She- 
ba,"  in  English.  I  beg  to  call  your  attention 
to  the  fact  that  the  right  of  producing  this 
opera  in  English,  or  in  any  other  language,  is 


THE    LIFE    OF    HEINRICH    CONRIED  47 

solely  and  entirely  vested  in  me,  and  that  it 
would  be  an  infringement  of  my  rights  were 
you  to  produce  it  without  previous  arrangement 
with  me.  While  I  fully  intend  to  protect  my 
property,  I  shall  be  most  happy  to  enter  into 
negotiations  with  you. 

To  Fanny  Davenport,  on  the  same  day,  he 
wrote : 

Dear  Madam: 

I  take  great  pleasure  in  submitting  to  you 
the  synopsis  of  the  German  drama  which  I 
mentioned  to  you.  I  enclose  a  slip  from  the 
Berlin  Courier,  one  of  the  most  prominent  Ger- 
man daily  papers  published  in  Berlin,  relating 
to  the  first  production  of  the  play.  Richard 
Voss*s  four-act  drama,  "Alexandra,"  was  pro- 
duced last  night  for  the  first  time.  .  .  .  The 
author  treats  the  question  of  whose  guilt  is  the 
greater:  the  seducer  or  seduced.  Some  of  the 
incidents  are  represented  in  perhaps  too  real- 
istic a  light.  To  produce  striking  effects  at  the 
close  of  each  act  has  been  the  author's  endeavor. 
He  offers  us  very  strong  food,  and  it  requires 
strong  nerves  to  accept  it.  The  artistic  working- 
out  of  his  idea  is  deserving  of  high  admiration. 

It  was  in  1886  that  Conried  became  deeply 


48  THE    LIFE   OF   HEINRICH    CONRIED 

involved  in  an  enterprise  known  as  the  Conried 
Opera  Company,  and  I  give  here  a  letter  which 
may  be  taken  as  his  first  official  communication 
with  the  Directors  of  the  Metropolitan  Opera 
Company.     It  is  dated  September  14th: 

Gentlemen  : 

I  beg  leave  to  make  the  following  application 
to  your  Board.  I  would  like  to  hire  the  Metro- 
politan Opera  House  for  three  or  five  consecu- 
tive years,  during  the  period  from  the  closing 
of  your  regular  winter  season  until  the  opening 
of  the  next  following  fall  season.  It  is  my  in- 
tention to  give  comic  opera  in  a  style  surpassing 
anything  that  has  been  shown  along  that  line 
in  this  country.  I  shall  begin  with  an  orchestra 
of  forty  musicians — no  comic  opera  company 
that  has  ever  played  in  New  York  (including 
the  Casino)  has  had  more  than  twenty- two  to 
twenty-four.  I  shall  have  a  chorus  of  not  less 
than  sixty  of  the  best  voices  that  can  be  had 
in  this  city;  my  cast  of  principals  will  include 
some  of  the  best  foreign  and  American  artists. 
I  can  refer,  with  justifiable  pride,  to  the  pro- 
ductions that  have  been  presented  under  my 
personal  direction  at  the  Thalia  Theater,  and 
at  the  Casino,  including  "Merry  War,"  "Apa- 
june,"  "Haunted   Castle,"   "Nanon,"   "Amori- 


THE   LIFE   OF   HEINRICH    CONRIED  49 

ta,"  "Gypsy  Baron,"  etc.  As  I  am  the  sole 
owner,  in  this  country,  of  the  greatest  successes 
in  comic  opera  that  have  been  produced  of  late 
years,  such  as  the  "Queen's  Lace  Handker- 
chief," "Prince  Methusalem,"  "Merry  War," 
"Gypsy  Baron,"  etc.,  by  Strauss;  "Beggar  Stu- 
dent," "Black  Hussar,"  "Vice-Admiral,"  etc., 
by  Milloecker;  "Trip  to  Africa,"  "Bellman," 
etc.,  by  Suppe;  "Nanon,"  "Royal  Middy,"  etc., 
by  Genee;  "Amorita,"  etc.,  by  Czibulka  .  .  . 
and  all  new  operas  by  other  distinguished  com- 
posers; and  as  I  have  contracts,  running  for 
five  years  to  come,  with  all  the  above-named 
gentlemen  for  their  new  works,  I  have  a  larger 
repertoire  at  my  command  than  any  other  man- 
ager in  America.  I  have  discussed  with  your 
secretary,  Mr.  E.  C.  Stanton,  many  of  the  de- 
tails of  my  scheme,  and  have  no  doubt  he  will 
give  you  all  the  information  you  desire  before 
communicating  with  me  directly. 

Your  obedient  servant, 

Heinkicii  Conried. 

Conried  was  right  in  regard  to  the  contracts 
he  was  making  at  this  period.*     I  have  them 

*  Among  these  contracts  I  find  the  following  names:  Sigmuntl 
Saubernian,  Dr.  Fal.  von  Werther,  Johan  Brand],  Herman  Zimii)e, 
Max  Woolf,  Hnge  Wittmann,  Grafen  F.  E.  Wittgenstein,  Josef 
Weinberger,  Camille  Walzcl,  Richard  Voss,  l^on  Troptone,  Ilcin- 
rlch  Thalbot,   Robt.   Misch  and  Wilhclm   Jacoby,    Raoul   Mader 


50  THE    LIFE    OF    HEINRICH    CONRIED 

all  and  they  fill  a  small  trunk.  He  was  in  con- 
tact with  the  whole  Viennese  musical  world. 
His  most  important  agreements  were  with  Mil- 
loecker,  Suppe,  M.  West  and  Genee,  Carl  Zel- 
ler  and  Leo  Held,  Victor  Leon  and  Alfred 
Zamara,  who  wrote  "Der  Doppelgiinger," 
Franz  Kratz,  and  Strauss. 

Franz  von  Suppe's  general  contract  covered 
the  rights  to  nineteen  operas.  Sometimes  the 
arrangement  was  for  a  stipulated  period;  at 
other  times,  as  in  the  case  of  "Africareise," 
there  was  an  absolute  sale.  I  find  a  personal 
memorandum  from  Richard  Genee,  dated  June 
8,  1886,  regarding  his  "Nanon."     It  reads: 

"I  certify  that  I  sold  to  Director  Conried 
all  receipts  and  incomes  which  have  been  and  in 
the  future  may  be  collected  from  American 
theatres,     .     .     .     except  New  York  City." 

The  contract  with  Suppe  for  his  comic  opera, 
"Bellman,"  is  typical  of  many  of  the  arrange- 
ments made  with  other  composers.  Conried 
agreed  to  pay  Suppe  3,000  florins,  one-half 
on  completion  of  the  first  act.  He  had  the 
privilege  to  sell  rights  to  others  and  to  keep 
the    royalty    accruing    therefrom    for    himself. 

and  Bernhard  Buchbinder,  Josef  Konti,  Josef  Bayer,  Wilhelm 
Ascher,  Julius  Bauer,  and  Alfons  Czibulka.  He  haii  much  more 
trouble  with  his  foreign  agents  than  with  the  composers  these 
agents  secured  for  him. 


THE    LIFE    OF    HEINRICH    CONRIED  51 

He  also  had  the  right  to  deal  in  the  piano  score 
for  the  whole  world.  For  this  concession  Con- 
ried  paid  5,000  Austrian  florins.  Such  was  the 
business  carried  on  by  Goldmark  &  Conried's 
Authors  and  Composers'  International  Agency.* 

The  following  letter,  dated  January  24,  1887, 
reinforces  Madame  Cottrelly's  recollections: 

To  Rudolph  Aronson,  Esquire. 
Dear  Sir: 

I  beg  to  inform  you  that  I  have  received  the 
complete  manuscripts  of  the  latest  Vienna  nov- 
elties and  successes,  "Vice-Admiral,"  by  Mil- 
loecker;  "Pirates,"  by  Genee;  "Hofnarr,"  by 
Adolph  Miiller;  and  "Vagabond,"  by  Carl  Zel- 
ler;  and  shall  be  glad  to  enter  into  negotiations 
with  you  respecting  their  performances  by  your 
company. 

A  similar  note  was  sent  to  McCaull  at  the 
same  time.  That  he  was  ever  alert  as  to  his 
rights  is  seen  from  the  following  tart  letter  for- 
warded, on  February  18,  1887,  to  George  W. 
Lederer : 

I  herewith  give  you  notice  that  I  shall  have 
you  arrested  on  your  return  to  New  York  City, 

*  For  an  account  of  Strauss,  Milloeoker  and  Supp6,  see 
Freund's  "Music  and  Drama,"  Christmas  number,  1885,  p.  22. 


52  THE    LIFE    OF    HEINRICH    CONRIED 

for  having  stolen  my  property,  the  operetta, 
"The  Maid  of  Belleville,"  and  for  giving  ille- 
gal and  unauthorized  performances  of  it. 

Evidently  his  scheme  for  comic  opera  was 
dominant  in  his  mind,  for,  when  the  Metropoli- 
tan Opera  House  offer  fell  through,  he  ap- 
proached Augustin  Daly,  in  the  hope  that  he 
could  lease  Daly's  Theatre  for  the  summer  sea- 
son of  1887. 

Summer  opera  was  quite  the  fashion  in 
New  York  then.  McCaull's  Wallack  venture 
was  noted.  There  he  presented  Digby  Bell, 
DeWolf  Hopper,  Mathilde  Cottrelly,  and 
Marie  Jansen,  in  pieces  of  such  picturesque 
character  as  "Don  Caesar." 

One  of  the  most  significant  contracts  owned 
by  the  Conried  Company  was  that  made  by 
Goldmark  in  1886  with  the  Wagner  family. 
The  firm  collected  royalties  from  1886  to  1888, 
receiving  four  per  cent,  of  the  gross  receipts, 
and  certainty  for  the  boxes.  Over  this  con- 
tract there  was  some  difficulty  with  Director 
Stanton  of  the  Metropolitan,  in  1889.* 

That  Conried's  reputation  was  growing  is 
evident  from  the  fact  that,  during  the  summer 

*As  to  Stanton's  opera  ideals,  see  his  article  in  the  North 
American  Revieio  for  February,  1892.  For  McCaull's  ventures, 
see  Robert  Grau's  "Forty  Years  Observation  of  Music  and  Drama." 


THE   LIFE   OF    HEINRICH    CONRIED  53 

of  1885,  Edwin  Booth  intimated  to  Mr.  Eman- 
uel Lederer,  who  had  been  his  stage-director 
while  touring  on  the  Continent,  that  he  would 
not  be  loath  to  go  abroad  again  *  if  he  could 
have  Conried  as  his  business-manager. 

Among  Mr.  Conried's  papers,  I  find  the 
following  note,  pencilled  on  a  slip  of  paper: 

Dear  Mr.  Booth: 

I  will  take  only  a  few  minutes  of  your  time. 
I  come  as  Commissioner  of  the  International 
Musical  and  Theatrical  Exhibition  to  be  held 
in  Vienna,  May  to  October  next. 

Very  truly, 

H.  Conried. 

On  the  back  of  this  in  an  uncertain  hand,  is 
the  reply: 

Ill-health  compels  me  to  refuse  all  interviews 
on  business,  and  I  must  ask  to  be  excused. 

E.  Booth. 

The  International  Musical  and  Theatrical 
Exhibition,  held  in  Vienna  from  May  to  Octo- 
ber, 1892,  sought  to  show,  in  its  infinite  variety, 
the  development  of  music  and  drama  among  all 
nations  and  during  all  ages.     A  pamphlet  was 

*  Lederer  had  been  with  Booth,  when  tlie  latter  was  in  Germany 
in  1883.  Booth  then  played  in  English;  the  rest  of  the  coin])any 
in  German.  On  the  wall  in  the  office  of  Mr.  Lederer  there  is  a 
framed  testimonial  letter  from  the  actor. 


54  THE   LIFE    or    HEINRICH    CONRIED 

issued  for  distribution,  and  if  it  does  not  re- 
flect in  its  language  the  sentimental  hand  of 
Conried,  it  at  least  reflects  the  tenor  of  the 
German  mind  toward  the  theatre.  As  a  docu- 
ment, it  has  its  interest,  for  it  is  a  measure  of 
the  high  seriousness  with  which  the  Continental 
public  approached  and  still  approaches  the 
playhouse.  Intelligent  appeal  was  made  by  the 
Princess  Metternich,  who  first  conceived  the 
plan  of  the  Exhibition.  Mr.  Conried,  as  a 
representative  in  America,  was  deeply  intent 
on  his  mission. 

It  was  evidently  about  the  time  of  the  mam- 
moth Wallack  benefit  that  Conried  must  have 
offered  the  services  of  his  company,  for  I  find 
an  undated  letter,  addressed  from  Wallack's 
Theatre,  as  follows: 

Pray  convey  to  your  accomplished  artists, 
and  accept  for  yourself,  my  warm  appreciation 
of  the  kind,  generous,  and  sympathetic  offer 
conveyed  in  your  letter. 

I  cannot  express  in  words  my  deep  sense  of 
the  noble  compliment.  I  will  (with  your  per- 
mission) send  word  to  Messrs.  Daly  and  Pal- 
mer, who,  I  am  sure,  will  greatly  appreciate 
your  kindness. 

Very  sincerely  yours, 

Lester  Wallack. 


THE   LIFE   OF    HEINRICH    CONRIED  55 

Even  though  Heinrich  Conrled  possessed 
small  musical  education  when  he  was  appointed 
Director  of  the  Metropolitan  Opera  House,  he 
had  had  considerable  musical  experience  in  the 
field  of  light  opera.  His  handling  alone  of  the 
works  of  the  principal  Viennese  composers 
would  have  afforded  him  opportunity  for  pick- 
ing up  some  knowledge  of  music,  and  his  fur- 
ther experience  as  stage-manager  at  the  Casino 
Theatre  would  have  added  still  more  to  his 
surety. 

Previous  to  his  acceptance  of  Rudolph  Aron- 
son's  offer,  which  was  soon  to  follow,  he  had 
had  one  more  managerial  venture.  In  1885, 
Sonnenthal  consented  to  visit  America,  pro- 
vided a  security  of  sixteen  thousand  dollars 
was  offered  him.  Sixteen  performances  were 
to  be  given  in  the  fortnight,  and  he  was  to  be 
handed  the  cash  before  sailing.  Conried  asked 
Amberg  to  back  him,  and  the  latter  persuaded 
Kramer  to  give  security. 

Whatever  might  be  said  to  the  contrary, 
there  is  no  doubt  that  Conried  was  in  personal 
correspondence  with  the  greatest  of  German 
actors.  For  Sonnenthal  wrote  to  him  from 
Vienna,  on  March  18,  1884,  as  follows: 

Why  did  I   hesitate   so  long,   since  you  of- 


56  THE   LIFE   OF   HEINEICH    CONRIED 

fered  me  even  then  a  brilliant  pecuniary  suc- 
cess? You  know  me;  in  spite  of  the  fact  that 
I  like  to  make  money  and  must  earn  it,  I  have 
always  aimed  primarily  at  the  artistic  success. 
To  be  candid,  I  had  some  distrust  of  the  fashion 
in  which  Art  is  handled  over  there  [meaning 
America] — but  now  that  you  offer  to  me  the 
cooperation  of  an  efficient  cast,  and  especially 
since  I  have  seen  Edwin  Booth,  and  have  had 
an  opportunity  to  admire  this  unsurpassed 
master,  I  realize  that  there  is  in  America,  as 
in  Europe — that  there  is  in  the  whole  world — 
but  one  true  Art.  And  as  this  master  showed 
the  warmest  consideration  of  my  work,  I  deter- 
mined to  take  the  step,  and  I  signed  the  agi'ce- 
ment.  And  now,  vogue  la  galere!  But  once 
more,  dearest  friend,  see  that  you  have  an  effi- 
cient cast;  for,  God  be  thanked,  I  am  not  one 
of  those  stars  as  yet  who  wish  to  shine  alone; 
I  have  always  had  the  entirety  of  a  piece  of 
work  in  view,  aside  from  the  fact  that  an  artist 
can  only  profit  by  the  cooperation  of  a  truly 
artistic  cast. 

I  am  very  sorry  that,  for  want  of  time,  I 
shall  not  be  able  to  spend  some  days  in  London 
to  see  the  famous  Wilson  Barrett,  who  is  said 
to  fill  all  the  world  with  enthusiasm  as  Claudian 
right  now.     I  wonder  whether  or  not  he  will 


r^fU-7^  ■VfcVr-Ji' 


ADOLPH    SONNENTHAL 


THE    LIFE    OF    HEINRICH    CONRIED  57 

come  to  us;  to  be  sure,  he  would  meet  with 
equally  as  enthusiastic  response  as  Booth.  But 
I  do  not  lose  hope  of  seeing  him  on  my  return 
journey. 

And  now  farewell.  I  trust  to  see  you  in 
September;  you  must  tell  me  very,  very  much 
about  things  over  there;  for,  to  be  honest,  since 
I  saw  Booth,  my  heart  misgives  me  somewhat. 

Au  revoir,  then,  and  kindest  regards  from 
Yours  very  sincerely, 

A.   SONNENTHAL. 

The  very  voluminous  correspondence  that 
passed  between  Mr.  Conried  and  Herr  Sonnen- 
thal  was  mainly  centered  on  the  consideration 
of  his  repertoire  which,  during  the  several  visits 
he  paid  to  America,  was  of  a  most  extensive 
and  varied  character. 

As  Amberg's  agent,  Conried  was  allowed  the 
generous  commission  of  twenty-five  per  cent. 
Before  Sonnenthal  arrived,  every  seat  was  sold 
for  his  engagement — an  engagement  which  was 
a  strenuous  one  for  the  actor,  who  had  no  time 
whatsoever  in  which  to  see  anything  of  New 
York.*     While  here,  he  lived  with  Baron  de 

*  An  interview  with  Sonnenthal  is  to  be  found  in  the  N.  Y. 
Staats-Zeitunff,  Vol.  54,  No.  13,  p.  3.  See  article  on  Sonnenthal 
by  Helena  Richter  in  the  "Dent.  Sliakcspcare-Cicscllsch.  Jahrb," 
Berlin,  46,  pp.  130-140.  See  also  "Adolph  Sonnenthal,"  by  Julius 
Bruck.     For  the  1899  engagement,  Conried  issued   "Eine  Fest- 


58  THE    LIFE    OF    HEINRICH    CONRIED 

Grimm,  cartoonist  for  the  New  York  Herald. 
So  successful  was  the  venture  that  Conried 
himself  cleared  twelve  thousand  five  hundred 
dollars. 

His  business  relations  with  Amberg  were  now 
varied,  inasmuch  as  the  latter,  at  the  Thalia 
Theater,  was  giving  creditable  performances  of 
Milloecker's  "Der  Feldprediger,"  Genee's  "Na- 
non,"  Weber's  "Der  Freischiitz,"  Milloecker's 
*'Der  Bettelstudent,"  Suppe's  "Boccaccio"  and 
"Fatinitza,"  and  all  the  other  operas  controlled 
by  Conried's  firm.  No  account  of  opera  in 
New  York  could  be  written  that  did  not  re- 
gard the  season  of  1885-86  at  the  Thalia,  where 
audiences  were  being  familiarized  with  Strauss's 
"Die  Fledermaus"  and  Mozart's  "Die  Hoch- 
zeit  des  Figaro,"  and  where  Strauss's  "Der 
Zigeunerbaron"  was  given  its  'premiere.* 

Maybe  Rudolph  Aronson  was  wise  in  "corner- 
ing" Conried.  For,  in  their  short  association, 
there  was  found  in  the  stage-manager  some- 
thing more  than  the  mere  music-broker.  The 
Casino  Theatre  opened  to  the  New  York  public, 
in  an  unfinished  state,  on  October  21,  1882. 
"The    Queen's    Lace    Handkerchief"    was    the 

schrift  zu  seinem  Gastspiel  am  Irving  Place  Theater"  (29  pp.)- 
During  the  1885  engagement,  Conried  received  a  letter  from  Edwin 
Booth,  discussing  Sonnenthal's  acting. 

*  See  Krehbid's  lists,  and  opera  reviews  at  the  time. 


THE   LIFE    OF    HEINRICH    CONRIED  59 

opera,  and  in  the  cast  were  Mathilde  Cottrelly 
and  Francis  Wilson.  "In  the  early  eighties," 
writes  Mr.  Aronson,*  "with  the  inauguration  of 
the  Casino,  I  insisted  upon  a  production  that 
should  combine  a  first-class  cast,  a  good-looking 
and  vivacious  chorus,  a  complete  orchestra,  ap- 
propriate scenery,  costumes  and  properties,  re- 
sultant in  the  presentation  of  Johann  Strauss's 
'The  Queen's  Lace  Handkerchief,'  and  thus 
establishing  the  popularity  and  vogue  for  many 
years  in  America  of  operetta  by  Austrian  com- 
posers, and  the  performances  of  not  only  the 
works  of  Strauss,  but  those  of  Suppe,  Mil- 
loecker,  Czibulka,  presented  by  the  McCaull, 
the  J.  C.  Duff,  the  Henry  W.  Savage,  the  F.  C. 
Whitney,  the  Amberg,  and  the  Conried  Opera 
Companies." 

In  succession,  the  Casino  performances  in- 
cluded "Le  Grand  Casimir,"  "The  Sorcerer," 
"The  Princess  of  Trebizonde,"  "The  Merry 
War,"  "Falka,"  "The  Little  Duke,"  "The 
Beggar  Student,"  "Nell  Gwynne,"  "Prince 
Methusalem,"  "Apajune,"  "Patience"  (first  per- 
formance), "The  Pirates  of  Penzance,"  "Die 
Fledermaus,"    "Polly,"    and    "Billee    Taylor." 

*  See  Rudolph  Aronson's  "Theatrical  and  Musical  Memoirs." 
N.  Y.:  Nast  &  Company,  1913.  An  account  and  a  cartoon  of 
Aronson  may  be  found  in  The  Theatre,  Det!.  25,  1886,  p.  277. 
See  also  Freund's  "Music  and  Drama,"  July  17,  1886. 


60  THE    LIFE    OF    HEINRICII    CONRIED 

The  audiences  were  quick  to  make  favorites  of 
Francis  Wilson,  Lillian  Russell,  Madelaine  Lu- 
cette,  Digby  Bell,  Marie  Jansen,  and  DeWolf 
Hopper. 

I  have  not  been  able,  absolutely,  to  locate 
the  exact  time  Mr.  Conried  assumed  his  duties 
at  the  Casino.  A  letter  to  the  Directors  of  the 
Metropolitan,  in  the  light  of  the  actual  per- 
formances given  at  the  Casino,  would  suggest 
an  earlier  date  than  1885.  There  are  some 
of  his  friends  who  insist  that  he  had  a  hand 
in  producing  "The  Beggar  Student,"  "The 
Queen's  Lace  Handkerchief,"  "Boccaccio," 
"Nanon,"  "Amorita,"  "Apollo,"  "Poor  Jona- 
than," "The  Gypsy  Baron,"  and  "The  King's 
Fool."  * 

On  the  evidence  of  Aronson's  "Memoirs,"  t 
Mr.  Conried  entered  the  Casino  with  "Na- 
non."  The  former  writes:  "Immediately  fol- 
lowing 'Billee  Taylor,'  Zell  and  Genee's  'Na- 
non'  was  produced  under  my  own  management. 
*Nanon'  was  staged  by  Mr.  Heinrich  Conried, 
who  afterward  became  Director  of  the  Metro- 


*  Mr.  Richard  Conrierl  assures  me  that  his  father  was  the 
stage-director,  to  his  knowledge,  for  all  of  these,  except,  probably, 
"Amorita"  and  "Apollo." 

t  For  a  synopsis  of  the  work  done  at  the  Casino  Theatre 
during  the  Aronson  regime,  see  T.  Allston  Brown's  "History  of 
the  New  York  Stage."  For  casts  and  lists  of  operas,  and  profits 
at  the  Casino,  see  Aronson's  book. 


THE   LIFE  OF   HEINRICH    CONRIED  Gi 

politan  Opera  House,  and  it  acliieved  great 
success.  It  was  followed  by  other  successes, 
Czibulka's  'Amorita,'  and  Strauss's  'Gypsy 
Baron,'  which  also  were  staged  by  Mr.  Con- 
ried  in  a  most  sumptuous  manner." 

That  seemed  to  be  his  long  suit, — the  sump- 
tuousness  of  his  stage.  But  he  always  added 
to  his  productions  a  touch  of  genius  that  spells 
success,  like  the  professional  fencing  contests 
for  prizes,  in  "The  King's  Fool."  When  "Na- 
non"  was  presented,  on  June  29,  1885,  it  did 
not,  however,  make  the  furor  expected  of  it; 
people  seemed  to  like  the  libretto  better  than 
the  music,  even  though  there  was  that  striking 
aria,  "Nanon,  In  Rapture  I  Come  to  Thee." 
Sadie  Martinot,  Pauline  Hall,  and  Francis 
Wilson  were  in  the  cast. 

"I  was  regarded  as  the  rebellious  member 
of  the  company,  I  guess,"  said  Mr.  Wilson, 
talking  of  those  days.  "Traditionally,  Mr. 
Conried  was  thorough;  those  ideas  which  he 
had  imbibed  as  an  actor  in  Germany  were 
paramount  with  him.  One  of  these  was  re- 
garding rehearsal.  He  found  America  free 
and  easy,  and  I  was  a  little  freer  and  easier 
than  that  even.  We  Americans  in  the  com- 
pany rebelled  against  his  formalities  as  per- 
sistently  as    he    did    against    our    freedom.      I 


62  THE    LIFE    OF    HEINRICH    CONRIED 

remember  once,  we  rehearsed  'Nanon'  until 
seven  in  the  evening.  I  had  a  comparatively 
small  part,  and  when  I  was  through  with  it, 
inasmuch  as  I  was  to  sing  in  'Erminie'  the  same 
evening,  I  went  home  to  rest;  that  much,  it 
seemed  to  me,  I  owed  my  audience.  But  Mr. 
Conried  thought  otherwise;  he  was  hurt  that 
a  member  of  his  company  should  show  such 
insubordination.  He  never  quite  forgave  me 
for  breaking  camp;  and  I  found  that  he  ex- 
pected the  whole  company  to  remain  until  the 
end.  Years  later,  when  he  was  in  Chicago, 
with  his  Metropolitan  Opera  Company,  he  had 
occasion  to  mention  this  incident,  and  held  me 
high  for  ridicule.  To  him  I  was  ever  a  law- 
breaker. 

"At  rehearsal,  the  actor  in  him  was  always 
uppermost.  He  was  a  tremendous  poseur,  and 
a  worker  thoughtless  of  others.  He  would  act 
every  one's  parts,  exhausting  them,  but  out- 
wardly never  seeming  exhausted  himself.  I 
believe  he  never  realized  that  conditions  in  the 
American  Theatre  were  not  what  they  were  in 
Germany;  abroad,  those  actors  rehearsing  in 
the  day  are  not  obliged  to  play  that  night. 
But  we  did  both  at  the  Casino;  there  was  no 
alternating  of  casts.  Conried  kept  his  people 
working   so   late   that   there   was   neither   time 


THE    LIFE   OF    HEINEICH    CONRIEI)  63 

for  food  nor  rest.  But  lie  would  always  go 
home,  dress  immaculately  and  theatrically,  and 
return  to  the  theatre,  looking  calm  and  uncon- 
cerned. During  the  evening  he  would  faint  be- 
hind the  stage  from  sheer  exhaustion.  Yet  it 
never  occurred  to  him  that  his  actors  might 
feel  the  same  physical  strain. 

"One  day  at  rehearsal,  the  young  leading 
man  did  not  throw  the  proper  passion  into  his 
scene.  Conried  brushed  him  aside,  and  acted  it 
vigorously  and  with  the  necessary  fervor.  There 
is  no  doubt  that  Conried  was  an  excellent  stage- 
manager,  but  his  sway  was  arbitrary,  except 
when  someone  would  oppose  him  arbitrarily, 
when  he  would  weaken.  He  always  wanted  to 
be  announced  with  a  flare  of  trumpets.  If, 
while  on  the  stage,  he  happened  to  show  any 
new  piece  of  business,  he  would  look  around 
him  consciously,  to  see  how  far  it  was  taking 
effect.  He  was  always  very  serious,  and  his 
expression  was  unfailingly  tragic.  It  was  his 
friendship  with  Aronson  that  made  McCaull 
bitter   against  him   at  this   time." 

Mr.  Wilson  smiled  at  the  recollection  of 
things  he  did  not  tell.  "Ah!  those  days!  I 
have  with  me  now  a  colored  man  who  once 
was  McCaull's  jockey." 

"Amorita,"  on  November  16,  1885,  was  the 


64  THE    LIFE    or    HEINRICH    CONRIED 

next  Casino  production.*  It  was  the  English 
version  of  Alphons  Czibulka's  "Pfingsten  in 
Florenz,"  the  book  by  Genee  and  Riegen.  The 
translation  was  made  by  Sydney  Rosenfeld  and 
Leo  Goldmark,  and  the  piece  was  brilliantly 
mounted.  Regarding  Mr.  Rosenfeld's  associa- 
tion with  Conried,  an  amusing  anecdote  is  told 
by  Judge  Dittenhoefer.  "I  remember  the  time 
when  Rosenfeld  was  restrained  from  producing 
'The  Black  Hussar/  controlled  by  Conried. 
For  contempt  of  court,  he  was  remanded  to  the 
Ludlow  Street  Jail,  and  there  he  was  unable  to 
give  bail.  Conried,  hearing  this,  paid  the  money 
for  him!" 

I  have  been  told  that  Mr.  Conried  did  not 
remain  long  with  the  Casino — possibly  a  little 
over  a  season.  But,  if  dates  are  to  be  believed, 
it  must  have  been  longer.     Aronson  writes: 

"In  Milloecker's  'Poor  Jonathan,'  the  third 
act  was  laid  at  West  Point,  on  the  Hudson.  I 
said  to  Mr.  Heinrich  Conried,  who  had  charge 
of  the  stage,  'We  must  introduce  here  an  effec- 
tive military  march,  and  .evolutions  for  the  girls 
of  the  chorus,  to  be  uniformed  as  West  Point 
Cadets.'  I  wrote  the  music  for  this  introduc- 
tion, published  as  a  march  under  the  title,  'For 

*  See   Freiind's  "Music  and  Drama,"   November  21,   1885;  also 
Krehbicl's  "Review  of  the  N.  Y.  Musical  Season,"  1885-90. 


THE    LIFE  OF    HEINRICH    CONRIED  65 

Love  or  War.'  It  took  eight  weeks  of  inces- 
sant rehearsal  with  Mr.  Conried  and  a  promi- 
nent drill-master  of  one  of  New  York's  crack 
regiments,  to  teach  the  girls  (forty-eight  in 
number)   the  difficult  steps." 

This  would  lead  us  to  infer  that  ^Ir.  Con- 
ried was  at  the  Casino  in  1890,  for  the  opera 
was  presented  on  October  14th  of  that  year. 
In  the  interim,  between  "Amorita"  and  this, 
there  was  given  "The  Gypsy  Baron"  (February 
15,  1886).* 

Unless  Mr.  Conried  was  called  in  by  Aron- 
son,  there  is  still  further  confusion  of  dates. 
First  and  foremost,  on  February  17,  1890,  "The 
King's  Fool"  was  being  played  by  the  Conried 
Opera  Company,  at  Niblo's  Garden,  with  J. 
W.  Herbert  and  Delia  Fox  in  the  cast,  this 
being  the  latter's  first  appearance  in  New  York. 
Yet  both  Krehbiel  and  Aronson  mention  Con- 
ried's  association  in  the  merry  war  over  the 
production  of  "Cavalleria  Rusticana"  on  Oc- 
tober 1,  1891.t  This  latter  incident  brought 
Hammerstein  into  clash  with  Conried  for  the 
first  time  in  their  musical  histories.    Mr.  James 


*  Cartoon  of  "Gypsy  Baron,"  in  the  N.  Y.  Theatre,  March  29, 
1886,  The  Casino  programme  contains  Conried's  name.  See  also 
Freund's  "Music  and  Drama,"  Feb.  20,  188G. 

f  "Most  Successful  Operetta  Ever  Heard  Here."  By  Rudolph 
Aronson.     Theatre  Magazine.     111.     July,   1903,   p.   17. 


66  THE   LIFE    OF    HEINRICH    CONRIED 

Creelman  was  abroad,  as  correspondent  for  the 
New  York  Herald,  when  he  first  heard  the  prize 
opera,  with  its  famous  intermezzo.  He  notified 
Aronson  of  its  Continental  success.  The  little 
opera  was  brought  over  for  production  in  a 
double  bill,  which  included  Zeller's  "Tyrolean," 
— a  musical  piece  introducing  in  the  chief 
role  the  trim  person  of  Marie  Tempest.  Con- 
ried  staged  the  double  bill.  Gustav  Kerker 
directed.  On  the  same  evening,  at  the  New 
York  Lenox  Lyceum,  Hammerstein  also  gave 
"Cavalleria  Rusticana,"  having  tried  to  serve 
an  injunction  against  Aronson.  From  Kreh- 
biel's  criticism,  we  infer  that  the  Aronson  per- 
formance was  superior,  for  he  declares  that 
Hammerstein  pitchforked  the  little  opera  upon 
his  stage.  Strange  to  say,  Adolph  Neuendorff 
directed  the  Hammerstein  orchestra! 

Recollections  of  those  times  were  brought 
vividly  to  Mr.  Conried's  mind  many  years  later, 
when  he  was  in  London.  He  and  his  son  oc- 
cupied a  box  at  the  theatre  to  see  Marie  Tem- 
pest. During  one  of  the  scenes,  she  discovered 
them  sitting  there,  and  in  crossing  stage  began 
to  hum  faintly  to  herself  one  of  the  songs  from 
the  "Tyrolean."  Such  little  sentiments  make 
theatrical  life  worth  while! 

That  Conried  was  very  exacting  as  a  stage- 


i 


THE   LIFE  OF    HEINRICH    CONRIED  67 

director  is  indicated  in  the  letters  he  wrote  the 
actors  who  missed  rehearsal;  so  successfully  was 
he  feared  that  they  dared  not  disregard  his 
wishes  without  some  excellent  excuse. 

Dear  Mr.  Conried  [wrote  Lillian  Russell] : 

I  am  quite  sick  to-day,  and  feel  too  ill  to  get 
out  of  bed.  If  I  could  come  to  the  rehearsal 
I  would,  but  to  be  able  to  sing  to-night  I  must 
rest  in  bed  all  daj^  Let  us  arrange  Thursday 
at  four  to  hear  the  opera   ("Comtesse"). 

One  of  the  actors  brought  forward  by  Con- 
ried at  this  time  was  Jefferson  de  Angelis.  The 
two  were  continually  quarreling  over  stage  busi- 
ness, and  over  de  Angelis's  extempore  addi- 
tions made  to  the  different  scenes. 

"But,"  said  de  Angelis,  "I  always  discovered 
that  he  was  right:  for  he  was  always  artistic. 
He  had  an  instinct  for  just  the  correct  touch 
in  those  operettas  at  the  Casino.  In  my  opin- 
ion he  was  the  greatest  stage-manager  of  light 
opera  we  have  ever  had  in  this  country.  And 
although  we  disagreed  sometimes,  I  know  he 
liked  me,  for  once,  after  a  heated  argument  he 
slapped  me  on  the  back  and  said: 

"  'Don't  be  angry,  Angelis.  I  admire  j'ou 
very  much.     If  I  did  not,  do  you  think  I  would 


68  THE   LIFE    OF    HEINRICH    CONRIED 

put  in  all  the  stage  business  and  things  you 
have  put  into  my  manuscripts?' 

"And  he  had  a  keen  sense  of  humor,"  Mr. 
de  Angelis  continued.  "He  wore  his  hair  quite 
long,  and  I  could  always  get  a  smile  out  of  him, 
when  I  ran  my  fingers  through  my  own  short 
crop,  and  called  him  'Hair  Conried.'  His  readi- 
ness to  enter  into  a  joke  endeared  him  to  all 
of  us." 

Conried  kept  a  sharp  eye  on  every  detail.  He 
never  relaxed  his  vigilence,  so  desirous  was  he 
that  everything  should  be  as  perfect  as  possible. 
Often,  in  after  years,  when  he  was  at  the  Metro- 
politan, he  would  dress  as  one  of  the  chorus  and 
go  about  the  stage,  watching  everyone  and 
everything.  Even  in  the  Casino  days  he  was 
given  to  that  habit.  On  one  such  occasion,  the 
irreverent  de  Angelis,  passing  him  during  some 
stage  business,  plucked  off  his  wig  and  false 
beard.  Conried,  horror-stricken,  darted  off  the 
stage  in  a  fury,  but  by  the  time  de  Angelis 
made  his  exit,  his  anger  had  abated,  and  the 
tvv^o  laughed  heartily  over  the  incident. 

De  Angelis  tells  another  anecdote — this  time 
turned  on  himself  by  Conried: 

"Gus  Kerker  (our  musical  director)  and  I," 
so  the  story  goes,  "were  invariably  swapping 
cigars,  which  we  claimed  were  the  best  in  the 


THE   LIFE  OF    HEINRICH    CONRIED  69 

country,  at  the  price.  I  had  one  made  that 
had  every  appearance  of  being  a  genuine 
Havana  Perfecto.  But  to  tell  the  truth,  it 
was  filled  with  the  parings  of  a  horse's  hoof. 
This  cigar  I  presented  to  Kerker,  asking  him 
to  smoke  it,  and  to  give  me  his  candid  opinion 
of  its  worth.     I  then  went  upon  the  stage. 

"William  !Ponelte,  knowing  all  about  the 
joke,  betrayed  me  to  Kerker,  who  put  the  cigar 
in  his  pocket,  and  of  course  took  good  care  not 
to  smoke  it.  The  following  night  I  asked  him 
how  he  liked  the  cigar,  and  he  said  he  must 
have  smoked  it  without  realizing  it  was  the  one 
I  had  given  him. 

*'I  could  say  nothing,  and  therefore  I  allowed 
the  matter  to  drop.  A  few  evenings  after,  I 
was  standing  in  a  cafe,  smoking  a  cigar.  Con- 
ried  came  in  and  spoke  to  me.  Suddenly  he 
said,  'What  is  that  you  are  smoking,  de  An- 
gelis?'  'An  onion,'  I  answered.  'What  did  you 
imagine  it  was?'  'Oh,  smoke  something  good,' 
he  said.  With  that  he  pulled  my  cigar  out  of 
my  mouth,  and  threw  it  on  the  floor.  Before  I 
could  say  a  word,  he  reached  in  his  pocket  and 
handed  me  a  beautiful  looking  weed.  I  lighted 
it,  and  we  chatted  for  a  few  moments.  Two 
or  three  times  he  roared  with  uncontrollable 
laughter.    When  I  asked  him  what  amused  him. 


70  THE   LIFE    OF    HEINRICH    CONRIED 

he  told  me  it  was  something  he  was  thinking 
about.  Finally,  he  said  he  would  have  to  go, 
and  left  me  in  a  fit  of  laughter.  He  had  no 
sooner  gone  than  a  volume  of  yellow  and  blue 
smoke  burst  from  the  cigar  he  had  given  me, 
and  the  cafe  smell ed  like  a  blacksmith's  shop. 
He  had  given  me  the  cigar  I  had  prepared 
for  Kerker,  and  I  never  after  that  had  an  op- 
portunity of  getting  even  with  him." 

The  young  German  manager  attained  the 
distinction  of  having  a  brand  of  cigars  named 
after  him,  and  these  he  was  accustomed  to  dis- 
tribute liberally,  when  he  received  the  report- 
ers on  his  departure  to  or  arrival  from  Europe 
in  later  years. 

One  of  the  few  anecdotes  Conried  used  to  tell 
in  public  concerned  these  cigars. 

"When  I  was  managing  my  production,  'The 
King's  Fool,'  "  he  said,  "I  occasionally  had  to 
jump  in,  on  short  notice,  and  play  some  part. 
The  principal  singers  in  that  company  were 
Joseph  Herbert,  the  comedian,  Delia  Fox, 
the  soubrette,  and  Helen  Bertram,  the  prima 
donna. 

"One  night  we  came  to  Peoria,  and  I,  as  usu- 
al, had  to  go  on  in  place  of  one  of  the  comedi- 
ans, who  was  ill.  After  the  performance,  we 
proceeded  to  the  bar  of  the  little  hotel,  and  the 


THE    LIFE   OF    HEINRICH    CONRIED  71 

proprietor  came  in  to  talk  to  us.  He  praised 
the  opera,  and  was  especially  pleased  with  my 
performance.  When  we  parted,  I  gave  him  a 
cigar. 

"The  next  year  we  went  back  there,  and  after 
the  performance,  I  met  him  again.  He  seemed 
not  to  have  the  slightest  recollection  of  me. 

"  'That's  strange,'  I  said,  'don't  you  re- 
member the  man  that  acted  in  "The  King's 
Fool?"' 

"He  shook  his  head. 

"  'Why,'  I  said,  'I  met  you  afterward,  and 
gave  you  a  cigar.' 

"He  shot  a  sudden  glance  at  me,  and  im- 
mediately the  friendly  exnression  on  his  face 
changed. 

"  'Oh,  yes,'  he  answered,  'I'll  never  forget 
that  cigar.'  " 

Several  personal  events  had  now  happened  in 
the  life  of  Heinrich  Conried.  During  the  winter 
of  1884,  he  was  married  to  Miss  Augusta  Sper- 
ling, a  woman  by  temperament  well  fitted  to 
him.  On  September  10,  1885,  a  son  was  born 
to  them,  and  because  this  event  occurred  at  the 
time  when  "Nanon"  was  being  produced,  the 
boy  was  named  Richard  Genee,  after  the  com- 
poser. Rudolph  Aronson  was  made  the  god- 
father of  the  child,  on  May  10,   1886,   a  date 


72  THE   LIFE    OF    HEINRICH    CONRIED 

famed  for  the  production  of  "Erminie,"  the 
opera  destined  for  so  long  a  run.* 

The  year  1887  is  chiefly  marked  hy  two 
events:  Mr.  Conried  was  awarded  a  medal  for 
his  artistic  efforts,  and  he  became  a  citizen  of 
the  United  States,  his  certificate  being  dated 
October  17,  1887.  Besides  managing  Barnay, 
in  1888,  Hedwig  Niemann-Raabe  likewise  made 
her  American  debut  at  the  Star  Theatre  under 
his  direction.  Her  advent  was  more  an  artistic 
than  a  financial  success.  Her  emotionalism  was 
best  seen  in  "Divor^ons,"  "Dora,"  and  Richard 
Voss's  "Alexandra,"  a  play  which  Conried  had 
tried  to  dispose  of  to  Fanny  Davenport. 

Then  came  the  period  of  the'  Conried  Opera 
Company,  with  its  ups  and  downs  in  "The 
Gypsy  Baron"  and  "The  King's  Fool."  Once 
in  a  while  this  organization  got  into  difiiculties, 
at  which  time  Conried's  other  business  ventures 
had  to  come  to  his  assistance.  With  this  com- 
pany he  made  a  transcontinental  trip. 

He  was  by  instinct  a  manager,  ready  at  any 

*  Richard  Conried  was  graduated  from  Columbia  University, 
in  1908,  having  been  active  in  college  theatricals  during  his  under- 
graduate life..  His  father  did  not  wish  him  to  go  on  the  stage, 
however  much  his  inclinations  might  lie  in  that  direction.  Never- 
theless, had  his  father  lived  to  see  the  New  Th-eatre  consummated, 
there  is  small  doubt  that  Mr.  Richard  Conried  would  have  entered 
theatrical  life  in  an  executive  capacity.  Instead  of  which,  he 
became  a  member  of  the  Stock  Exchan'ge.  He  was  married  on 
.September  25,  1911,  to  Miss  Margaret  Levy. 


THE    LIFE   OF    IIEINRICH    CONRIEl)  73 

moment  for  any  imdertaking.  In  1891,  the 
Arion  Society  of  New  York  went  to  Vienna  for 
a  song  festival.  During  the  trip  they  Avould 
have  found  themselves  stranded  had  it  not  been 
for  Conried.  The  intercourse  between  Ger- 
many and  America  in  those  days  was  not  close, 
especially  in  the  musical  Avorld.  But  the  Arion 
Society's  trip  up  the  Danube  turned  out  to  be 
a  success.  For  his  efforts,  Mr.  Conried  was 
presented  with  a  handsome  ring. 

Conried  was  now  gaining  distinct  prestige 
among  the  Germans  of  New  York;  he  was 
likewise  making  money,  but  from  a  source  which 
was  not  the  theatre.  During  the  Thalia  years, 
while  he  was  travelling  across  seas  for  his  actors, 
an  idea  came  to  him — they  always  came  to 
Conried,  who  ever  had  a  new  scheme  up  his 
sleeve — that  it  would  be  profitable  to  furnish 
steamships  with  deck  chairs.  He  was  such  a 
poor  sailor  that  he  was  constantly  on  the  look- 
out for  comfort.  There  was  scarcely  a  trip 
he  made  abroad  that  he  was  not  the  life  of  those 
aboard,  however  much  he  might  be  seasick. 
And  though  he  loved  to  spend  most  of  his  time 
in  the  card-room,  he  was  always  approachable 
when  the  subject  of  the  concerts  for  the  sea- 
men's benefit  had  to  be  discussed.  Director 
Leist,  of  Bremen,  could  write  a  volume  on  Mr. 


74  J-HE   LIFE   OF    HEINRICH    CONRIED 

Conried  as  a  sailor  on  the  North  German  Lloyd 
boats.  As  though  steamer  chairs  were  not 
enough  innovation  for  this  theatre  manager  to 
make,  he  it  was  who  tried  to  iind  some  substi- 
tute for  the  evil-smelling  oil  lamps  on  the  boats, 
long  before  the  electric  light  was  in  use. 

Conried  talked  with  the  General  Director  of 
the  Hamburg- American  line,  Herr  Ballin,  who 
gave  him  a  contract  to  supply  chairs,  and  thus 
it  was  that  the  Ocean  Comfort  Company  was 
formed.  Conried  was  fortunate  in  striking  a 
decided  Avant  in  ocean  traffic,  and  it  was  a  busi- 
ness wherein  large  profit  was  to  be  made. 

The  very  name  of  the  organization  indicates 
how  careful  Conried  was  to  keep  his  name  from 
business  interests,  other  than  of  an  artistic  na- 
ture. The  company  thrived  for  many  years; 
and  long  after  rival  steamers  began  to  handle 
their  own  chairs,  the  German  lines  held  to  their 
contracts  with  Conried;  for  they  considered, 
astutely,  that  Director  Conried  always  had  many 
people  to  send  to  Europe  from  the  Irving  Place 
Theatre.  To-day  the  Ocean  Comfort  Company 
is  no  more.  Every  ship  carries  her  own  chairs. 
When  Conried  gave  up  the  Irving  Place  Thea- 
tre, he  sounded  the  knell  to  his  other  busi- 
ness. Contracts  began  to  dwindle  in  value, 
and   there   came   a   time   when    renewals   were 


THE   LIFE  OF    HEINRICH    CONRIED  75 

sought  and  refused,  especially  after  the  death 
of  Mr.  Conried.  Rudolph  Aronson  was  one 
of  the  stockholders  in  the  company,  which  started 
business  with  one  thousand  chairs;  in  1891,  the 
number  had  increased  to  5,250.  In  that  year, 
a  dividend  of  three  per  cent,  was  declared.  The 
Ocean  Comfort  Company  was  Conried's  most 
reliable  backer  in  his  theatrical  enterprises. 

He  had  now  reached  the  point  where  he 
could  command  independent  financial  backing. 
Everything  tended  toward  a  larger  position  for 
him.  The  forces  that  had  made  his  managerial 
ability  distinctive  so  early  in  life  were  carrying 
him  in  the  direction  of  the  most  considerable 
German  playhouse  in  America — the  Irving 
Place  Theatre. 


CHAPTER  III. 

The  Irving  Place  Theatre:  German  .ludiences  in  New 
York.  Amberg;  William  Steinway.  Policy  of  the 
theatre  from  1893-97.  Important  productions;  "guest- 
ing" engagements.  Policy  from  1897-1903.  After 
1903. 

THE  site  for  the  Irving  Place  Theatre  was 
in  close  proximity  to  the  Steinway  prop- 
erty, on  Fourteenth  Street,  and  this  is  one 
of  the  reasons  why  the  house  became  the  special 
care  of  William  Steinway.  The  land  had  origi- 
nally been  occupied  by  a  building  known  as  Ir- 
ving Hall,  and  used  for  lodgers.  But,  in  1888, 
that  place  was  torn  down,  and,  through  the 
initial  activity  of  Gustav  Amberg,  a  theatre 
was  built  in  its  stead.  This  theatre  was  opened 
on  Christmas,  1888,  with  a  comedy  entitled 
"Ein  Erfolg." 

During  his  managerial  tenure,  Amberg  had 
many  difficulties  of  a  financial  nature.  He  found 
himself,  about  1890,  in  such  a  precarious  posi- 
tion that  he  was  forced  to  leave.  Even  the 
Munich  players  he  had  brought  over,  success- 
ful as  they  were  at  this  time,  did  not  save  the 
manager;  he  soon  went  into  bankruptcy.     The 

76 


THE   LIFE  OF    HEINRICH    CONRIED  77 

lease  of  the  house  was  then  turned  over  to  Leo 
von  Raven  and  Max  Mansfield  for  the  season 
of  1892-93.  Again,  the  psj^chological  moment 
arrived  for  Heinrich  Conried.  He  vi^as  per- 
suaded that  he  could  bring  the  Irving  Place 
Theatre  to  a  successful  position,  and  so,  in 
1892,  an  understanding  was  reached,  between 
himself  and  William  Steinway,  to  take  over 
the  lease.  Mr.  Steinway  did  not  own  the  prop- 
erty— which  belonged  to  the  Grain  estate, — but 
he  did  own  the  lease,  and  this  he  willingly  turned 
over  to  the  new  manager. 

With  characteristic  zeal  and  self-confidence, 
Conried  once  more  concentrated  his  attention 
on  the  production  of  German  drama.  And  he 
was  so  far  successful  that  his  regime  at  the 
Irving  Place  stands  forth  as  his  greatest  accom- 
plishment, even  in  the  light  of  the  later  innova- 
tions made  at  the  Metropolitan  Opera  House. 

He  assumed  control,  with  a  pronounced  de- 
termination to  discountenance  the  vicious  "star" 
system  which  at  that  time  dominated  the  Ameri- 
can stage,  and  was  to  dominate  it  for  several 
decades  to  come.  It  was  not  his  intention  to 
treat  his  audiences  to  a  succession  of  popular 
idols,  but  he  resolved  rather  to  establish  a  con- 
sistently, evenly  efficient  stock  company.  This 
basic  principle  was  responsible  for  much  of  the 


78  THE    LIFE    OF    HEINRICH    CONRIED 

astounding  and  unique  reputation  the  Irving 
Place  Theatre  began  to  gain  for  itself.  It  be- 
came the  one  permanent  theatrical  organization 
in  New  York,  standing  for  the  traditions  of 
true  histrionic  art,  thoughtfulness,  refinement, 
cultivation  of  form,  subordination  of  the  parts 
to  the  whole,  submission — in  short  for  every- 
thing opposed  to  the  popular  theatrical  vogue.* 
He  kept  the  organization  constantly  at  an  ex- 
traordinarily high  level.  Not  often  did  one  find 
the  Irving  Place  Theatre  company  unequal  to 
its  task.  Surveying  the  actual  accomplishment, 
one  can  but  marvel  that  there  was  not  more 
evidence  of  haste  than  there  was.  Often  the 
performances  were  brilliant;  nearly  always  they 
were  even  in  their  artistic  conception. 

No  contemporary  manager  diversified  his  per- 
formances as  shrewdly  as  Conried.  Of  course 
his  task  was  different  from  that  confronting  Mr. 
Daniel  Frohman,  who  had  a  stock  company 
at  the  old  Lyceum  Theatre,  near  Twenty-third 
Street  and  Fourth  Avenue.  Conried  had  a  rich 
dramatic  literature  to  cull  from,  and  the  Ger- 
man dramatists  at  that  time  meant  more  from  a 
literary  point  of  view  than  the  American  play- 

*  This  opinion  was  expressed  by  one  of  Mr.  Conried's  friends, 
Mr.  Peyton  Steger,  who  was  at  work  on  a  biography  of  the  Im- 
presario. Mr.  Steger's  sudden  death  occurred  before  the  book 
was  in  any  way  completed. 


THE   LIFE  OF    HEINRICH    CONRIED  79 

Wrights.  Not  only  that,  but  the  purposes  of 
the  two  playhouses  were  different.  Conried  had 
the  tradition  of  a  repertory  system  well  drilled 
into  his  being;  otherwise  his  past  experiences 
would  have  been  as  nought  to  him.  And,  as  we 
have  seen,  his  tastes  were  largely  classical.  He 
gave  the  German  classics  due  place  in  his  reper- 
tory, .but  he  likewise  took  good  care  to  amuse 
the  German  public  with  light  comedies  and 
farces — many  of  them  often  wholly  unworthy  of 
the  excellent  acting  bestowed  upon  them. 

He  was  eager  for  suggestions  from  his  clien- 
tele. I  have  been  told  that,  on  one  occasion, 
in  order  to  please  a  theatre  club,  he  changed 
his  bill  so  that  the  members  of  the  club  might 
see  a  particular  play  they  were  anxious  to 
discuss. 

Never  a  season  passed  that  Mr.  Conried  did 
not  succeed  in  mounting  two  or  three  novel  and 
striking  plays.  Every  year  he  went  abroad,  not 
only  in  the  interests  of  his  musical  ventures,  but 
to  ransack  Germany  and  Austria  for  those 
European  productions  that  were  unlikely  to  be 
seen  elsewhere.  He  was  virtually  responsible 
for  everything  connected  with  the  executive  and 
artistic  direction  of  the  Irving  Place  Theatre. 
The  stage-management  showed  his  own  personal 
touch;   he   was   always   expert,    and    sometimes 


80  THE   LIFE    OF   HEINRICH    CONRIED 

daring.  It  was  not  long  before  he  became 
known  for  perfection  of  detail  in  all  his  pro- 
ductions. And,  after  his  first  season,  New 
York  began  to  regard  him  as  a  most  able, 
progressive,  brilliant,  and  thoroughly  artistic 
manager. 

His  stock  company  was  always  receiving  new 
blood.  Whenever  he  returned  from  Europe 
he  had  not  only  a  list  of  new  attractions  to  an- 
nounce, but  he  would  tell  of  the  new  and  the 
mature  players  he  had  recruited  from  Germany 
and  Austria.  In  accordance  with  the  custom 
of  the  German  theatre — a  custom  not  strange 
to  the  history  of  the  American  theatre  in  stock 
company  days — he  established  the  excellent  sys- 
tem of  "guesting"  engagements,  a  habit  familiar 
to  the  Thalia  Theater,  and  still  memorable  are 
the  visits  of  Sonnenthal,  Sorma,  Barnay,  Kainz, 
Helene  Odilon,  Engels,  and  Bonn.  But  though 
the  "guest"  generally  proved  a  splendid  attrac- 
tion, Conried's  dependence  was  not  upon  such 
extraordinary  arrangements;  rather  upon  the 
all-round  ability  of  his  company.  He  trained 
his  people  to  be  ready  any  week  to  appear  in 
half  a  dozen  plays  at  the  shortest  notice. 
Sometimes  the  popularity  of  a  drama  forced 
him  into  a  "run";  at  other  times,  during  a 
"guesting"  engagement,  he  marshalled  the  best 


THE    LIFE   OF    HEINKICH    CONRIED  81 

of  his  company  as  support  for  a  repertory  be- 
longing to  the  visiting  actor. 

He  was  ever  vigilant  in  search  for  new  ma- 
terial. The  new  playwrights, — Sudermann. 
Fulda,  Bleibtreu,  and  Hauptmann, — were  made 
familiar  at  the  Irving  Place  Theatre  before 
they  were  known  to  the  English  stage.  Plays 
by  these  authors  were  brought  out  simultane- 
ously in  Berlin  and  in  New  York.  And  let  it 
be  emphasized  that  Conried  was  the  first  pro- 
ducer to  pay  royalties  to  French  and  German 
authors,  who  were  not  at  that  time  protected 
by  copyright  in  America. 

In  spite  of  his  contemporaneousness,  however, 
Hjinrich  Conried  never  forgot  German  literary 
tradition.  No  matter  how  brilliant  the  "new" 
product  might  be,  no  matter  how  distinctively 
23resented,  he  never  lost  an  opportunity  to  pro- 
duce a  classic.  An  annual  Schiller  festival  was 
held  by  him,  and  this  did  much  to  endear  Con- 
ried to  the  many  sentimental,  homesick  Germans 
in  New  York  at  that  period. 

From  the  very  outset,  therefore,  the  Irving 
Place  Theatre  became  imique,  and  synonymous 
with  all  that  was  artistic.  People  knew  that  they 
could  depend  on  seeing  really  noteworthy  plays. 
An  evening  spent  there  was  in  the  way  of  an 
intellectual  treat.     And  more  than  that,  Con- 


82  THE    LIFE   OF   HEINRICH    CONRIED 

ried  succeeded  in  unifying  his  German  audi- 
ences. Night  after  night  they  came,  until  they 
began  to  regard  themselves  as  one  big  family. 
They  visited  each  other  between  the  acts,  and 
when  the  play  was  over,  they  went  to  Liichow's 
for  supper  and  to  exchange  opinions.  Over  the 
beer,  of  an  evening,  one  could  see  the  critic, 
the  actor,  and  those  interested  in  the  wel- 
fare of  the  German  theatre.  It  was  as  near 
the  Continental  idea  as  one  could  get  in  New 
York. 

The  Irving  Place  was  not  a  theatre  for  the 
playgoer  that  Broadway  knows.  Yet,  its  policy 
won  for  it  a  following  alike  from  the  Germans 
and  from  the  Americans.  College  students  were 
advised  by  their  instructors  to  frequent  the 
house,  and  Conried  did  everything  he  could  to 
cooperate  with  educational  institutions.  In  fact, 
he  was  ever  zealous  to  make  of  his  theatre  an 
intellectual  centre.  It  became  known  through- 
out the  country,  and  Conried  was  acclaimed  in 
the  most  discriminating  quarters  as  an  example 
of  what  a  theatre  manager  should  be.  While 
this  pleased  him,  he  found  greater  satisfaction 
in  the  knowledge  that  abroad  he  was  gaining 
a  European  reputation.  The  activity  of  the 
Irving  Place  Theatre  was  carefully  watched 
and  applauded  by  the  managers  in  Germany. 


THE   LIFE  OF   HEINRICH    CONRIED  83 

As  I  have  said  before,  there  was  one  great 
thing  in  Conried's  favor  at  this  time,  and  that 
was  the  unity  of  the  German  pubhc  in  New 
York;  they  were  not  so  assimilated  into  the 
American  feeling  as  they  are  now.  There  was 
more  in  them  of  the  spirit  of  '48.  But,  on  the 
other  hand,  there  is  no  doubt  that  Mr.  Conried's 
own  artistic  personality  gave  stamp  to  the  tone 
of  the  place.  Had  there  not  been  that  determi- 
nation on  his  part  to  create  a  repertory  consistent 
with  the  best  that  was  being  done  in  the  reper- 
tory houses  of  Europe,  the  German  Theatre  in 
New  York  might  have  been  given  over  almost 
wholly  to  that  inferior  grade  of  farce  which 
occ.'isionally  found  its  way  on  the  Irving  Place 
Theatre  stage.  After  Conried  ceased  being  its 
Director,  the  history  of  his  playhouse  lost  its 
glamour.  There  was  not  the  distinction  to  it 
that  there  was  of  yore.  In  fact,  during  the  year 
1909,  it  looked  as  though  New  York  would  not 
be  able  to  support  a  German  Theatre  at  all. 
It  was  then  that  Mr.  Otto  Weil  gave  some 
significant  data  to  the  Press  as  to  the  situation. 
I  quote  as  follows: 

"The  history  of  the  Irving  Place  Theatre  has 
shown  that  there  was  never  great  financial  suc- 
cess for  any  manager  here,  unless  there  was 
something  in  the  play  or  the  actors  to  interest 


84  THE   LIFE   OF   HEINRICH   CONRIED 

the  American  theatregoer  as  well  as  the  German 
citizens. 

"Mr.  Conried,  in  spite  of  the  favorable  circum- 
stances under  which  he  controlled  the  theatre, 
never  did  any  large  business  unless  he  got  in  the 
outside  public,  although  in  his  day  the  general 
patronage  of  the  theatre  was  much  better  than 
it  is  to-day.  Those  were  days  in  which  the 
Germans  came  to  the  theatre,  and  it  was  com- 
mon enough  to  see  there  Carl  Schurz  and  his 
family,  George  Ehret  and  his  family,  the  Thal- 
manns,  the  Speyers,  the  Ruperts,  the  Seligmans, 
and  the  other  rei^resentative  German  families. 
Mr.  Thalmann  came  once  last  winter,  and  the 
old  crowd  of  first-nighters  has  dwindled  until  it 
is  scarcely  noticeable. 

"The  audiences  at  the  German  Theatre  have 
always  been  divided  into  three  classes, — those 
that  came  regularly  to  the  first  nights,  those 
that  came  always  on  Saturdays,  and  those  that 
came  on  Sundays  because  they  were  not  free  at 
any  other  time,  and  were  willing  to  witness  a 
play  done  without  costumes  or  change  of  scen- 
ery, rather  than  not  at  all.  To  these  must  be 
added  the  American  contingent  that  came  when 
anything  interested  it  specially." 

Once  in  control  of  the  Irving  Place  Theatre, 
Heinrich  Conried  was  in  his  element.     He  be- 


THE   LIFE  OF    HEINRICH    CONRIED  85 

came  the  autocrat,  and  many  the  anxious  eyes 
that  would  gaze  at  the  door  of  his  office  and 
wonder  what  mandate  would  issue  therefrom. 
And  in  a  w^ay,  one  can  see  why  it  was  he  as- 
sumed this  autocratic  manner.  He  was  a  man 
of  contracts  throughout  his  life.  Whenever  he 
came  from  abroad,  his  trunk  was  loaded  with 
them.  He  joined  that  association  of  managers 
in  Germany  calling  themselves  "Der  Deutsche 
Biihnenverein,"  and  under  the  chairmanship  of 
the  General  Intendant  of  the  Prussian  Court 
Theatres.  The  object  was  to  safeguard  them- 
selves against  those  who  wilfully  broke  their 
contracts. 

During  the  very  first  season  at  the  Irving 
Place  Theatre,  Mr.  Conried  firmly  established 
his  policy,  though  naturally  he  went  cautiously 
to  work.  He  published  a  review  of  that  sea- 
son in  a  little  booklet,  which  clearly  reveals 
how  thorough  he  was,  how  steadfast  to  his  idea 
of  establishing  in  New  York  a  repertory  theatre. 
During  a  period  between  October  2,  1893,  and 
April  30,  1894,  there  were  forty-nine  separate 
plays  given,  among  them  the  folk-piece,  "Der 
Gefallene  Engel,"  Fulda's  fairy-tale,  "Der 
Talisman,"  and  Sudermann's  "Die  Heimat." 
Conried's  company  consisted  of  thirteen  women 
and  eighteen  men.     Conried  himself  played  ten 


86  THE    LIFE    OF    HEINRICH    CONRIED 

times  in  "Prozesshansel"  and  as  Dr.  Klaus. 
Even  in  this  first  year  he  adhered  to  the  habit 
of  giving  his  audiences  music,  and  he  brought 
over  the  Ferenczy  Opera  Company  for  its  first 
engagement  in  America;  they  gave  "Der  Vogel- 
haendler,"  "Pagliacci,"  and  operas  of  like  char- 
acter. When  the  season  was  about  to  draw  to 
a  close,  Conried  addressed  the  following  letter 
to  "The  Friends  of  the  New  York  German 
Theatre."  It  was  dated  April,  1894.  In  sub- 
stance it  ran: 

"The  first  season  of  the  Irving  Place  Theatre 
under  my  direction  is  drawing  to  an  end,  and 
I  am  promjDted  to  express  my  thanks  to  all 
those  friends  of  art  who  have  lent  me  their  favor 
in  the  past  year,  and  who  have  encouraged  me 
to  make  further  effort.  At  the  same  time,  I  re- 
quest of  my  friends  and  patrons,  as  well  as  of 
the  entire  German  population  in  this  city,  that 
they  not  only  lend  me  their  favor,  but  also 
that  they  give  it  to  me  in  greater  measure,  so 
that  I  may  succeed  in  fulfilling  the  difficult  task 
to  which  I  am  applying  my  whole  strength  and 
whatever  ability  I  have. 

"I  am  neither  boasting  nor  exaggerating 
when  I  say  that  I  have  proven  by  the  past  sea- 
son that  I  can  organize  and  direct  a  German 


THE   LIFE  OF   HEINRICII    CONRIED  87 

Theatre,  worthy  of  the  third  largest  city*  in 
the  world. 

"What  I  promised  at  the  beginning  of  the 
season — to  produce  a  number  of  the  best  mod- 
ern stage  pieces  in  a  genuinely  artistic  manner — 
I  have  done;  the  recognition  of  the  German  and 
English  press,  as  well  as  the  approval  of  the 
public,  is  assurance  of  that. 

"During  the  coming  season  the  repertory  of 
my  theatre  will  experience  another  substantial 
increase;  to  the  new  plays  which  portray  mod- 
ern life  in  this  country  and  on  the  other  side, 
are  to  be  added  the  best  of  the  German  classics 
— the  best  that  the  stage  literature  of  the  past 
offers.  However,  as  a  strong  increase  of  my 
cast  is  necessary  for  the  fulfilment  of  such 
plans — plans  which  I  am  sure  will  meet  with 
approval — and  as  the  expenses  of  the  theatre 
will  also  be  increased  in  many  ways,  I  need 
for  this  the  support  of  all  the  German  friends 
who  treasure  German  theatrical  art  in  this  city. 
But  it  is  not  the  collection-box  I  shall  pass 
around;  it  is  not  a  subsidy  that  I  ask  for.  It 
is  something  that  has  existed  for  a  long  time 
in  the  large  and  small  theatres  of  the  old  coun- 
try: a  steady  subscription  for  single  seats  and 
for  special  evenings  throughout  the  entire  sea- 


88  THE   LIFE    OF   HEINRICH    CONRIED 

son — an  assurance  of  a  subscription  that  ap- 
plies to  cheap  seats  as  well  as  to  the  expensive 
ones.  In  other  words,  I  need  the  support  of 
those  in  moderate  circumstances. 

"Such  a  subscription  is  as  much  in  the  inter- 
est of  the  patrons  as  of  the  theatre.  For  the 
latter  it  secures  a  firm  basis,  to  the  former  it 
grants  the  opportunity  of  securing  for  them- 
selves, without  extra  expense,  even  with  a  small 
reduction  in  price,  desirable  seats  for  definite 
evenings  of  every  week.  Thus,  in  the  general 
course  of  things,  one  can  be  sure  of  finding  on 
his  subscription  evening  his  likewise  subscrib- 
ing friends  and  acquaintances  in  the  theatre. 

"It  is  quite  plain  that  I  must  consider  myself 
bound  so  to  regulate  my  repertory  that  the  sub- 
scribers may  witness  a  different  production  every 
visit  they  make  to  the  theatre.  If  the  case 
occurs  that  an  especially  successful  novelty  has 
to  run  for  several  weeks  in  succession,  it  is  left 
to  the  subscribers  to  redeem  their  tickets  at  the 
box-ofiice  of  the  theatre  at  their  sale  price. 

"The  amount  of  the  subscription  may  be  paid 
at  the  discretion  of  the  subscriber,  either  for  the 
whole  season  or  for  the  half  season  or  for  a 
month  in  advance. 

"The  price  of  seats  as  follows: 


THE   LIFE  OF    HEINRICH    CONRIED  89 

"Subscription  Scale  for  the  season  from  Octo- 
ber 1st,  1894,  to  May  1,  1895. 

1  orchestra  cliair    $4'0.00 

1  orchestra  chair — last  rows 25.00 

1  balcony  chair,  1st  and  2nd  rows 25.00 

1  balcony  chair 20.00 

1  balcony  chair 13.50 

1  gallery   seat 13.50 

1  gallery  seat 9-50 

"The  subscription  price  for  an  orchestra  box 
(6  seats)  for  a  whole  season  amounts  to  $400; 
for  a  first  tier  box  (6  seats),  $300.  The 
box-ofR*e  price  for  these  seats  is  about  15  to 
20  per  cent,  higher. 

"This  request  is  sent  to  all  my  friends  and 
patrons — not  only  to  subscribe  themselves,  but 
to  work  in  their  circle  of  friends.  Try  to  fill  out 
the  accompanying  subscription  blanks,  and  re- 
turn to  me  as  soon  as  possible.  I  remain, 
"Respectfully, 

"Heinrich  Conried." 

This  subscription  idea  never  left  the  mind  of 
Heinrich  Conried;  it  grew  with  his  artistic  de- 
velopment; and,  as  he  became  more  and  more 
familiar  with  the  American  people,  his  efforts 
became   centred   on   schemes   for   the   establish- 


90  THE   LIFE    OF    HEINRICH    CONRIED 

ment  of  a  National  Theatre.  Thus  early,  we 
see  the  germs  of  those  plans  later  suggested 
in  connection  with  the  New  Theatre.  Before 
accepting  the  position  at  the  Thalia  Theater,  a 
subscription  playhouse  was  what  he  sought  to 
establish  for  himself.  Whenever  he  was  ap- 
proached for  any  expression  of  opinion,  he  al- 
ways reverted  to  his  subscription  scheme;  he 
never  for  an  instant  doubted  that,  once  the 
theatre  was  supported,  it  would  find  its  own 
repertory. 

The  American  Dramatists  Club  had  Conried 
as  guest  of  honor  at  a  dinner  given  at  Del- 
monico's  on  the  evening  of  April  19,  1903.  He 
spoke  in  the  light  of  his  own  accomplishment 
at  the  Irving  Place  Theatre.  He  also  spoke 
in  view  of  the  fact  that  a  short-lived  National 
Theatre  Society,  under  the  Presidency  of  Mr. 
J.  I.  C.  Clarke,  was  then  agitating  the  establish- 
ment of  a  National  Theatre  in  New  York — 
an  agitation  which,  in  its  way,  prepared  the 
path  for  the  later  New  Theatre.  Mr.  Con- 
ried said  at  the  time: 

"The  stage, — the  theatre, — is  educational,  and 
therefore  cannot  be  left  to  private  enterprise. 
Portugal  knows  it,  and  Spain,  Norway,  Servia, 
even  little  Greece,  insist  on  its  maintenance. 
Public  recognition  of  the  stage  would  result  in 


THE    LIFE   OF    HEINRICH    CONRIED  91' 

its  elevation.  One  play  cannot  be  more  than 
a  one-sided  thing.  A  stage  compelled  to  run 
one  play  for  months,  or  more,  cannot  be  edu- 
cational. An  educational  theatre  is  a  nonentity 
without  a  changing  repertoire  to  play  upon  all 
the  emotions.  The  Shakespeare  to  glorify 
American  civil  virtues  is  yet  unborn,  or,  if  he 
is  born,  he  lives  in  obscurity,  barred  from  a 
stage  that  cannot  afford  to  stage  his  play. 

"Give  me  a  National  Theatre,  and  I  am  sure 
that  the  American  Shakespeare  will  write.  This 
project  cannot  be  accomplished  in  a  year.  We 
will  be  lucky  if  it  can  be  accomplished  in  six 
years,  if  the  plan  followed  at  the  Comedie  Fran- 
9aise  be  followed.  It  could  be  established  with- 
out great  financial  backing.  The  plan  is  simple. 
We  shall  be  able  to  build  such  a  theatre  very 
easily.  The  assurance  is  given  me  by  a  i^ery 
wealthy  man  that  as  soon  as  the  plan  is  devised, 
it  will  receive  the  requisite  financial  support. 

"According  to  my  plan,  the  house  will  con- 
tain a  stage,  and  sufiicient  facilities  for  elaborate 
productions  in  the  way  of  scenery,  costumes, 
and  carpentry  work.  How  much  will  it  cost 
to  maintain  such  a  theatre?  It  will  be  admitted 
by  all  of  you  that  $5,000  a  week'is  a  fair  average 
of  receipts  in  the  commercial  theatre.  This, 
divided  into  six  days,  gives  receipts  of  $800  a 


92  THE   LIFE    OF   HEINRICH    CONRIED 

night,  leaving  $200  for  matinees.  The  National 
Theatre  would  have  a  season  of  thirty  weeks.  It 
would  produce  ten  plays  in  the  first  year,  giv- 
ing three  weeks  to  one  play,  and  so  changing  the 
audiences  every  eighteenth  day.  Then  we  can 
say  to  the  people,  'Will  you  be  a  subscriber  and 
see  every  new  performance?'  The  best  society 
in  New  York  City  would  attend.  We  would 
get  3,600  people  in  New  York  City  to  subscribe 
$40  each  for  two  seats  in  the  orchestra,  and 
that  would  provide  a  fund  which,  from  my  ex- 
perience as  a  manager,  I  am  sure  would  pay 
for  the  salaries.  The  second  year  we  would 
change  the  bill  once  a  week,  and  within  six 
years  have  the  house  so  established  that  we  could 
change  it  every  night,  and  have  not  3,600  but 
600,000  subscribers." 

In  part,  this  is  the  support  Mr.  Conried  asked 
in  his  prospectus  of  the  New  York  German 
population.  It  would  have  been  an  easy  matter 
for  him  to  have  followed  the  line  of  least  re- 
sistance, but  instead  he  set  himself  the  task  of 
creating  a  high  standard  of  stock.  It  would  be 
useless  to  review  his  regime  in  minute  details; 
that  would  embrace  a  very  generous  survey 
of  the  whole  theatrical  activity  in  Germany  and 
Austria  during  nearly  a  decade  and  a  half.  The 
minute  analysis  v/ould  reveal  Mr.   Conried  as 


THE   LIFE  OF    HEINBICH    CONRIED  93 

being  closely  in  touch  with  the  best  thought 
of  the  time,  since  the  best  thought  reached 
toward  the  stage  for  its  proper  expression. 
Nearly  always  his  German  novelties  were  seen 
first  on  the  stage  of  the  Irving  Place  Theatre, 
before  they  were  translated;  in  one  or  two  in- 
stances, they  were  given  a  production  by  per- 
mission of  Augustin  Daly,  who  at  one  period  in 
his  career  was  as  eager  for  the  German  farce 
as  other  managers  were  for  the  French  comedy 
of  intrigue.  Sometimes  Charles  Frohman  would 
succeed  in  presenting  a  German  play,  altered 
to  suit  the  audiences  of  his  Empire  Stock  Com- 
pany.* The  Lyceum  also  occasionally  turned 
to  the  German  stage. 

This  much  we  may  be  assured  of:  had  Hein- 
rich  Conried  lived  to  direct  the  New  Theatre,  he 
would  have  attempted  to  maintain  something 
of  a  classical  standard;  he  would,  for  instance, 
have  given  Shakespeare  a  better  chance  than 
would  have  been  afforded  by  any  other  Ameri- 
can manager.  But  he  would  have  been  handi- 
capped in  other  directions,  for  he  would  not 
have  had  the  diversified  material,  rich  in  tradi- 
tion   and    stimulating    in    novelty,    which    he 

*  Fo"  example,  on  February  6,  1900,  a  contract  was  drawn  up 
between  "C.  F."  and  Conried  for  Gustav  Kadelburg's  three-act 
farce-comedy,  "Das  Barenfell,"  and  on  March  18,  1901,  for  Fulda's 
■'Die  Zwillingsschwester"    ("The  Twin  Sister"). 


94  THE    LIFE   OF   HEINRICH    CONRIED 

brought  to  his  German  clientele.  He  had  many 
things  to  contend  with  in  America  which  he 
would  not  have  had  to  consider  had  he  lived 
in  Germany.  Mr.  Norman  Hapgood  very 
wisely  states  that  the  effect  of  American  life 
on  the  younger  generation  of  Germans  resulted 
in  a  willingness  on  their  part  to  support  the 
German  farce  in  lieu  of  Schiller,  and  for  want 
of  this  lighter  material,  to  wander  over  to 
Broadway,  where  there  was  a  different  standard 
and  idea  in  the  theatre.  Mr.  Conried  had  to 
present  a  mixed  repertory;  however  much  he 
might  love  to  do  so,  he  could  not  draw  as  clean 
a  line  between  farce  and  the  legitimate  drama 
as  is  drawn  in  the  German  playhouses  abroad. 

But  he  knew  his  German  drama,  whether  it 
was  in  German  or  in  translation,  and  he  was  able 
to  infuse  into  it  a  vitality  which  no  other  man- 
ager on  this  side  of  the  water  could  do.  "I  have 
seen  Mr.  Conried  put  life  into  a  Sudermann 
scene  in  ten  minutes,"  writes  Mr.  Hapgood, 
"when,  before  his  arrival,  an  English  company 
could  make  of  it  nothing  but  wandering  talk." 
He  must  here  have  had  reference  to  the  fact 
that,  while  Mrs.  Patrick  Campbell  was  making 
ready  to  appear  in  "The  Joy  of  Living,"  Mr. 
Conried  rehearsed  her  company.  In  acknowl- 
edgment of  this,  the  actress  was  most  effusive, 


THE    LIFE   OF    HEINRICH    CONRIEI)  95 

and  ever  held  Mr.  Conried  in  great  respect. 
When  she  came  to  America,  she  never  failed 
to  seek  his  encouragement.  "I  feel  your  opin- 
ion and  advice  would  be  of  much  help  to  me, 
dear  Herr  Conried,  and  I  would  be  so  grateful 
for  it,"  she  once  wrote  him  from  the  Hotel  Se- 
ville, in  New  York  (October  11,  1902). 

Though  Mr.  Conried  was  loath  to  criticize 
English,  American,  or  French  actors,  he  often 
narrated  how  he  changed  Bernhardt's  UAiglon 
scene  before  the  mirror.  "If  you  hold  the 
candle  so,"  he  explained,  taking  the  light  from 
her,  "it  will  be  impossible  for  you  to  see  any- 
thing, so  great  will  be  the  glare  between  you 
and  the  mirror.  But  what  you  should  do  is  to 
hold  the  candle  back  of  you  slightly — like  this." 
He  was  ever  quick  in  gaining  the  best  effects. 

The  Irving  Place  season  of  1894-95  was  a 
decided  advance  over  the  first  season.  When 
he  returned  from  Euro^^e  on  his  annual  pilgrim- 
age, Mr.  Conried  announced  in  the  German 
papers  that  he  had  secured  such  "stars"  as  Max 
Bira,  Max  Hanseler,  and  Lucie  Freisinger. 
The  month  of  November  was  particularly  rich, 
and  showed  to  a  marked  degree  how  Mr.  Con- 
ried was  keeping  faith  with  his  public.  On  the 
5th,  he  celebrated,  in  rich  fashion,  the  fourth  cen- 
tennial  of  Hans   Sachs,   presenting  a  mixture 


96  THE   LIFE    or    HEINRICH    CONRIED 

of  drama  and  music,  and  calling  in  the  services 
of  Anton  Seidl,  who  directed  the  orchestra  for 
the  overture  of  "Die  Meistersinger."  Schiller's 
birthday  was  on  the  9th,  celebrated  by  an  ear- 
nest production  of  "Maria  Stuart."  Perhaps  the 
premiere  looked  forward  to  with  most  eager- 
ness was  that  of  Max  Halbe's  "Die  Jugend" 
(December  13,  1894).  In  this,  his  first  season, 
he  began  drawing  upon  the  prolific  pens  of 
jBlumenthal  and  Kadelburg,  presenting  "Die 
Orientreise,"  which  Augustin  Daly  gave  under 
the  name  of  "Trip  to  the  East."  Gustav  von 
Moser  figured  several  times  in  the  repertory, 
and,  during  a  performance  of  Frey tag's  "Die 
Journalisten,"  on  April  30,  1895,  Mr.  Conried 
announced  the  news  of  the  author's  death.  The 
season  gave  every  evidence  of  earnest  endeavor. 
It  was  a  later  production  of  "Jugend"  which  so 
impressed  Mr.  Hapgood,  who  writes  in  his  book, 
"The  Stage  in  America": 

"A  short  time  ago  I  was  Vvatching  Max 
Halbe's  famous  play,  'Jugend,'  at  the  Irving 
Place,  enjoying  it  thoroughly,  and  thinking 
over  questions  which  some  American  actors  had 
asked  about  the  possibility  of  putting  on  an 
English  translation.  It  seemed  to  me  likely 
to  fail,  whoever  might  attempt  it;  yet  it  ran 
so  well  in  Germany  that  it  at  once  made  for 


THE    LIFE   OF    HEINRICH    CONRIED  97 

the  author  a  reputation.  Only  part  of  the 
difference  is  in  the  audience.  Another  point  is 
that  it  is  almost  impossible  to  think  of  a  cast 
that  would  play  it  as  well  as  did  the  members  of 
Mr.  Conried's  company.  The  only  weak  point 
was  a  visiting  star.  The  idiot  was  pfayed  by 
Julius  Strobl,  a  man  who,  in  his  years  here, 
appeared  often  as  the  leading  young  gentleman 
in  farces,  or  a  young  swell  in  society  plays; 
who  was  Dr.  Rank  in  'A  Doll's  House,'  some 
nameless  soldier  in  'Wilhelm  Tell,'  De  Guiclie 
in  'Cyrano  de  Bergerac,'  and  so  on  through  a 
long  list,  and  his  performance  in  'Jugend'  was 
simply  perfect.  The  girl  was  played  by  Emmy 
Schroth,  whose  versatile  talent  ranged  from 
Rautendelein  in  'Die  Versunkene  Glocke'  to 
ordinary  soubrette  roles  and  the  pathos  of 
'Jugend/  This  is  one  of  the  important  con- 
ditions of  the  Irving  Place  Theatre.  When  an 
actor  is  engaged  there,  he  shows  his  repertoire, 
which  sometimes  includes  several  hundred 
parts." 

There  were  others  like  Mr.  Hapgood  to  rec- 
ognize the  superiority  of  Mr.  Conried  to  any 
American  manager  of  the  day.  Who  but  he 
could  have  so  trained  his  company  that  at  a 
moment's  notice  they  could  slip  from  farce  into 
the  highest  poetry!     It  was  largely  a   matter 


98  THE   LIFE   OF   HEINRICH    CONRIED 

of  cooperation  which  made  his  company  so  ex- 
cellent. They  brought  to  the  Irving  Place 
Theatre  stage  a  knowledge  and  an  experience 
which  the  American  actor  did  not  have.  They 
were  as  familiar  with  the  spirit  of  German 
farce,  comedy  and  tragedy  as  Conried  himself. 
When  the  time  came  for  rehearsal,  the  manager 
read  the  play  to  the  company,  and  discussed  it 
with  them  as  a  whole,  in  the  light  of  its  literary 
completeness.  When  Mr.  Conried's  company 
failed,  it  was  most  likely  to  be  at  a  moment 
when  their  Teutonic  minds  could  not  grasp  the 
volatile  nature  of  the  Gallic.  Oftentimes,  also, 
they  gave  too  German  a  cast  to  Shakespeare. 
But  never  was  there  a  lack  of  complete  under- 
standing. Conried's  actors  knew  the  value  of 
verse;  they  differentiated,  for  example,  between 
the  technique  required  to  interpret  the  spirit  of 
"Wilhelm  Tell"  and  of  the  "Comtesse  Gucki." 
Ask  the  frequenters  of  the  old  Irving  Place 
Theatre  to  name  over  some  of  the  triumphs  of 
Heinrich  Conried,  and  they  will  say:  It  was 
through  him  that  we  became  familiar  with 
"Alt  Heidelberg,"  given  with  that  German 
university  atmosphere  which  the  English  pro- 
duction failed  to  catch.  Was  it  not  he  who 
introduced  us  to  "Die  Weber"  and  "Die 
Versunkene    Glocke"?      And    again    they   will 


THE   LIFE  OF    HEINRICH    CONRIED  99 

say:  His  company  seemed  to  respond  to  every 
demand  made  by  the  German  dramatists. 
Would  we  have  known  as  much  of  Sonnenthal, 
who  made  Lessing  live  for  us;  would  we  have 
had  the  Nora  of  Frau  Sorma?  And,  as  far  as 
music  is  concerned,  without  Conried  would  we 
have  been  so  early  familiarized  witli  "Die 
Fledermaus,"  "Boccaccio,"  or  "Der  Bettelstu- 
dent"?  It  was  Herr  Conried's  regime  that  did 
all  this  for  us.    That  is  what  they  will  say. 

The  notable  performances  of  the  season  1895- 
96  were  "Die  Rauber,"  with  Conried  in  the 
cast,  "Die  Fledermaus,"  "Wilhelm  Tell,"  with 
Mathieu  Pfeil,  "The  Countess  Gucki,"  with 
Adolph  Link  and  Anna  Braga,  both  favorites 
with  the  Irving  Place  audiences,  "Romeo  and 
Juliet,"  and  "Dr.  Klaus,"  with  Georg  Engels. 

During  the  next  year,  Frau  Sorma  attracted 
more  than  a  German  audience.  It  was  in  the 
spring  of  1897,  and  she  made  her  debut  in 
Ibsen.  Her  Nora  is  one  of  the  notable  con- 
tributions to  histrionic  art.  Only  she  has  been 
able  thus  far  to  show  to  Americans  that  true 
spiritual  awakening  which  takes  place  in  a 
drama  that  so  many  call  impossible  simply  be- 
cause they  cannot  reconcile  to  themselves  the 
act  of  Noras  leaving  her  children.  But  Sorma 
not  only  made  it  evident,  both  in  psychology 


100  THE   LIFE   OF   HEINRICH    CONRIED 

and  technique,  what  was  taking  place  in  Noras 
soul;  when  she  slammed  the  door  in  her  hus- 
band's face — a  slam  which  is  the  "revolution- 
ary" part  of  the  drama — she  made  the  audience 
fully  aware  of  the  spiritual  change  to  take 
place  in  the  man  after  she  left  him.  It  was 
during  one  of  Sorma's  "guesting"  engagements 
at  the  Irving  Place  Theatre  that  Herr  Rudolph 
Christians  appeared  under  Conried's  manage- 
ment. He  came  over  originally  in  Sorma's 
company.  Little  did  he  know  at  the  time  that 
the  fate  of  the  German  theatre  in  New  York 
would  eventually  rest  in  his  hands,  as  it  is 
doing  now.  Sorma's  repertory  consisted  (April 
12  to  May  4,  1897)  of  Nora  in  "A  Doll's 
House";  Dora  in  "Diplomacy";  Chic;  Rauten- 
delein  in  "Die  Versunkene  Glocke,"  and  Lorle 
in  "Dorf  und  Stadt." 

No  one  could  discuss  the  Irving  Place  Thea- 
tre performances  in  a  light  manner;  a  week's 
repertoire  forced  an  audience  into  intellectual 
communion.  In  no  other  place  in  America  has 
Goethe  been  seen  to  such  advantage.  It  took 
some  artistic  bravery — to  say  nothing  of  com- 
mendable ambition — for  a  manager  to  present 
the  two  parts  of  "Faust,"  *  as  Conried  did  one 

*This  was  during  April,  1901,  W.  H.  Carl  Emmericli  in  a  role 
longer  than  that  of  Hamlet.  Kirschner  was  the  Mephistopheles 
and  Miss  Merito  the  Gretchen. 


A 


Hz^   JfiP^'a  ., 


AGN]:S    SORMA    AS    RAUTENDELEIN 


THE   LIFE  OF    HEINEICH    CONRIKD.  101 

season.  Audiences  were  trained  at, the  li'ving 
Place  to  listen  to  literature.  Again  I  draW, 
upon  the  excellent  enthusiasm  of  Mr.  Hapgood 
— the  one  American  critic  to  preserve  in  book 
form  a  tribute  to  the  German  Theatre  as  part 
of  the  stage  in  America.  He  is  writing  of  Son- 
nenthal  in  "Nathan  der  Weise,"  and  is  suggest- 
ing that,  had  the  play  been  given  before  a  Broad- 
way audience,  it  would  have  been  a  "frost." 

".  .  .  In  this  literary  and  untheatrical  play 
Sonnenthal  received  an  ovation  comparable  to 
the  lurid  first  night  of  Zaza.  ,  .  .  What  had 
happened  when,  at  the  end  of  the  scene  between 
Nathan  and  Saladin,  in  the  third  act,  the  cul- 
tivated audience  recalled  the  actor  again  and 
again,  with  the  heartiest  and  most  spontaneous 
enthusiasm?  Why,  he  had  delivered  a  parable 
in  a  number  of  long  speeches.  He  had  stood 
there,  and  in  the  quietest  and  gentlest  tones 
explained  to  the  Sultan  some  profound  truths 
about  religion.  In  monologues,  pages  in  length, 
he  had  laid  out  a  beautiful  truth,  written  in 
classic  German,  recited  with  abundant  grace, 
clearness  and  seriousness,  but  without  one  stage 
trick;  and  the  audience  loved  it,  leaned  forward 
to  grasp  every  word  and  every  shade  of  de- 
livery, and  went  home  feeling  that  one  evening 
more  had  been  properly  spent." 


102  THE   LIFE   OF    HEINRICH    CONRIED 

In  other  words,  those  who  regularly  attended 
the  performances  at  the  Irving  Place  Theatre 
grew  in  taste  and  understanding.  They  took 
personal  pride  in  the  actors,  and  came  grad- 
ually to  measure  their  capabilities  as  from  night 
to  night  these  actors  undertook  different  roles. 
Mr.  Conried  maintained  the  old  system  of  "ben- 
efits," and  at  such  times  it  became  clearly  evi- 
dent who  were  the  favorites  with  the  New  York 
German  public.  There  were  constant  surprises 
given  by  the  different  actors,  as  new  possibilities 
were  offered  them  from  season  to  season.  They 
could  not  become  stereotyped,  because  variety 
kept  them  flexible.  Tuesday  evenings  were 
known  as  "classical  nights." 

The  season  of  1897-98  maintained  the  same 
element  of  novelty,  and  marked  Conried's  anni- 
versary of  twenty-five  years  since  his  stage 
debut.  With  the  festive  spirit  ever  to  the 
front,  on  the  evening  of  February  23,  1898,  the 
Director  took  a  benefit,  and  himself  appeared 
as  De  Banville  in  "Gringoire."  He  likewise 
took  part  in  the  second  act  of  "Die  Fleder- 
maus."  He  had  much  for  which  to  congratu- 
late himself,  and  the  standard  he  had  set  for 
his  theatre  was  more  than  being  maintained 
from  year  to  year.  His  bills  every  week  con- 
tinued to  be  varied:  there  was  no  other  theatre 


THE   LIFE   OF    HEINRICH    CONRIED  103 

in  the  city  that  had  the  resources  displayed  at 
the  Irving  Place.  Imagine  playing  one  night 
Schiller's  "Kabale  und  Liebe";  another  night, 
"Jourfix";  the  next,  a  dramatization  of  "Jane 
Eyre";  and  in  the  same  week,  "Madame  Sans 
Gene." 

There  was  a  popular  demand  for  Sorma's 
return,  and  when  she  answered  the  call,  she 
added  to  her  repertory  Max  Bernstein's  "Mad- 
chentraum"  ("A  Maiden's  Dream")  and  Ro- 
berto Bracco's  "Untreu."  During  the  course 
of  her  stay,  there  were  several  premieres,  the 
greatest  being  on  the  evening  of  April  29th, 
when  "Konigskinder"  was  given  for  the  first 
time.  Rudolph  Christians  was  the  King's  Son 
and  Sorma  the  Goose-girl.  In  the  cast  also 
were  Max  Hanseler,  Carl  Frischer,  and  Gustav 
V.  Seyffertitz.  This  was  the  play  which,  as  an 
opera,  was  later  to  be  given  at  the  Metropolitan 
Opera  House.  But  at  the  Irving  Place  Theatre 
only  a  musical  accompaniment  was  used. 

The  season  of  1897-98  was  also  distinctive 
for  the  amount  of  opera  given  at  the  theatre. 
On  November  4th,  the  operetta,  "Die  Lach- 
taube"  ("The  Cooing  Dove"),  met  with  con- 
siderable success,  and  on  November  29th, 
Strauss's  "Waldmeister"  was  sung.  Conried 
was   able  to   draw  his   opera  company   at   this 


104  THE   LIFE    OF    HEINRICH    CONRIED 

time  from  that  of  the  Irving  Place,  but  he  en- 
gaged Julie  Kepacsy,  an  outsider,  for  his  prima 
donna.  Those  who  have  remembrance  of  these 
days  will  recollect  with  what  degree  of  excel- 
lence the  choruses  were  trained. 

But  there  was  other  training  that  Conried 
was  doing.  He  was  making  his  audiences  crit- 
ical and  discerning.  They  could  judge  between 
the  suitableness  and  unsuitableness  of  a  role 
for  Anna  Braga;  they  could  realize  the  differ- 
ence between  the  ingenue  roles  which  Sorma 
gave  with  spirit  and  dash,  and  her  superb  mo- 
ments in  the  crucial  moments  of  Noras  life. 
They  could  discriminate  between  the  ensemble 
excellence  in  a  German  farce  and  the  limita- 
tions of  the  same  ensemble  in  "Divor9ons,"  for 
instance,  where  the  Teutonic  temperament 
failed  to  grasp  the  French  atmosphere.  Their 
discrimination  gave  them  a  certain  authority 
to  pronounce  judgment,  and  the  "guest"  who 
came  from  abroad  found  himself  before  the 
most  enlightened  theatre  public  New  York  had. 
They  could  enjoy  a  farce  and  take  it  for  what 
it  was  worth. 

The  farce  element  at  the  Irving  Place  Thea- 
tre was  its  most  stereotyped  phase.  Farce, 
after  all,  is  a  matter  of  trickery,  and  the  Ger- 
man  dramatists    in   that   genre   used   as   many 


THE   LIFE   OF   HEINRICH    CONRIED  105 

tricks  as  the  French.  The  suspended  catastro- 
phe, the  trifling  misunderstandings,  the  forced 
humor  between  father  and  son-in-law — the 
theatregoers  sometimes  chafed  under  the  self- 
evident  difficulties  served  up  to  them.  If  they 
accepted  these  farces,  they  did  so  because  of  the 
flawless  acting  and  the  beauty  of  the  staging. 
Consult  the  American  press  of  the  time,  and 
you  will  find  the  critics  marvelling  at  the  uni- 
form excellence  of  these  productions. 

The  season  of  1898-99  was  marked  by  a  pro- 
nounced success.  Against  his  policy  and  his 
will,  Conried  was  forced  to  give  a  "run."  I 
refer  to  Blumenthal  and  Kadelburg's  "Im 
weissen  Roess'l,"  presented  on  November  14. 
Immediately  the  English  rights  were  secured 
by  Daniel  Frohman.  The  Bavarian  peasant- 
actors  had  a  season  during  this  year,  and  since 
then  have  visited  America  many  times  with  only 
moderate  recognition.  Apart  from  the  run 
given  to  Felix  Philippi's  "Das  Erbe"  (January 
5,  1899) ;  apart  from  Fulda's  "Jugenfreunde," 
given  superlatively  on  February  9,  1899,  with 
Anna  Braga  *  and  Julius  Strobl  in  the  cast; 
apart  from  several  pleasant  little  comedies,  the 
most  distinctive  performance  of  the  year  was 
Rostand's  "Cyrano  de  Bergerac,"  Ludwig  Ful- 

*  Now  Mrs.  Nahan  Francko. 


106  THE    LIFE    OF   HEINRICH    CONRIED 

da's  version,  presented  on  March  13th,  for  the 
benefit  of  the  Heine  monument  in  New  York 
City — a  monument  that  raised  a  storm  of  pro- 
test, and  attracted  the  spleen  of  vandals  be- 
cause of  its  inartistic  v^^orkmanship.  The  per- 
formance called  for  care  and  industry  in  prepa- 
ration. Eugene  Schady  was  announced  for  the 
title  role,  but,  on  short  notice,  Strobl  played 
it  after  two  days'  study.  Ada  Merito  was 
RoiVane.     It  created  a  distinct  impression. 

On  April  3,  1899,  Marie  Geistinger  was  the 
"guest"  at  the  Irving  Place  Theatre.  She  had, 
at  first,  been  brought  to  America  by  Amberg, 
who  ran  her  at  his  Germania  Theater,  on 
Eighth  Street,  in  opposition  to  Sorma.  Then, 
on  April  6th,  Sonnenthal,  after  an  absence  of 
fifteen  years,  began  an  engagement,*  for  which 
occasion  the  prices  were  raised.  His  repertoire 
consisted  of  Lessing's  "Nathan  der  Weise," 
Larder's  "Alte  Junggesellen,"  Schiller's  "Wal- 
lensteins  Tod,"  Adolf  Wilbrandt's  "Tochter 
des  Fabricius"  ("The  Daughter  of  Fabricius"), 
Hauptmann's  "Fuhrmann  Henschel,"  and 
Ohnet's  "Der  Heuttenbesitzer"  ("The  Iron 
Mask").  After  his  engagement,  the  Hungar- 
ian societies  of  the  city  presented  him  with  a 
silver  wreath,  and  Conried  offered  him  a  silver 
toilet-set  in  token  of  appreciation. 

*  Nation  (N.  Y.),  88:368. 


SONXENTHAL  AS  NATHAN  IN  NATHAN  DER  WEISE 


THE   LIFE  OF    HEINRICH    CONKIED  107 

When  Conried  celebrated  his  twenty-fifth 
anniversary,  the  local  papers  all  commented  on 
his  having  produced  something  like  two  hun- 
dred and  seventy  plays.  How  many  he  actually 
did  mount  during  his  entire  regime  at  the  Irv- 
ing Place  is  of  small  significance,  if  we  under- 
stand that  his  repertory  house  was  repertory  in 
every  sense  of  the  word.*  He  never  swerved 
from  his  initial  intention,  and  through  the 
seasons  to  follow  there  were  many  notable 
evenings. 

After  his  appointment  as  Director  of  the 
Metropolitan  Opera  House,  the  actual  time  he 
bestowed  upon  the  theatre  began  to  be  less  and 
less.  Those  he  placed  in  control,  however,  sim- 
ply acted  under  his  orders.  The  history  of  the 
executive  side  of  the  Irving  Place  Theatre,  as 
it  relates  to  Conried  from  the  time  he  trans- 
ferred his  main  office  to  the  Opera  House,  may 
be  told  in  few  words.  The  most  notable  as- 
sistants were  Max  Hanszler  and  Gustav  von 
Seyffertitz.  The  latter,  particularly,  not  only 
had  won  for  himself  an  enviable  position  among 
the  German  theatregoers  as  a  comedian  of  the 
first  rank,  but  his  ability  in  character  roles  had 
been  noticeable.    After  Mr.  von  Seyffertitz  left 

*  An  article  on  the  German  Theatre  in  New  York  is  published 
in  Theatre  3Iagazine  for  INIarch,  1902.  For  an  article  on  Baum- 
feld,  see  Theatre  Mayazine,  November,  1907. 


108  THE   LIFE   OF   HEINKICH    CONRIED 

the  German  Theatre,  and  appeared  on  the  Eng- 
lish stage,  he  was  regarded  as  a  stage-manager 
of  large  creative  force — a  legacy  partly  be- 
queathed to  him  by  Conried.  This  was  recog- 
nized by  Charles  Frohman  and  others.  In 
1905-06,  when  he  acted  as  regisseur,  Mr.  Con- 
ried becoming  more  and  more  involved  in  opera 
matters,  the  excellence  of  the  Irving  Place 
Theatre  was  largely  due  to  how  well  Mr.  von 
Seyffertitz  interj^reted  the  aim  and  ambition 
of  Conried.  Under  this  regime  Mr.  Conried 
continued  to  return  from  Europe  with  yearly 
plans  for  the  Irving  Place  Theatre.  Until  his 
actual  resignation  in  April,  1907,  it  was  a  mar- 
vel to  many  how  much  care  and  attention  he 
actually  did  give  to  the  Irving  Place  Theatre.* 
In  passing  over  the  years,  one  cannot  refrain 
from  pointing  to  those  distinctive  performances 
of  which  any  manager  might  well  be  proud. 
The  season  of  1900-01  was  marked  by  the  ajD- 
pearance  of  Hedwig  Lange,  who  always  showed 
intelligent  grasp  in  such  parts  as  3Iagda,  and 

*  The  next  step  in  the  history  of  the  Irving  Place  Theatre 
was  that  August  Liichow  took  over  the  lease  from  Conried,  pavingi 
him  between  $15,000  and  $:3O,00O  for  it.  Otto  AVeil  became  mana- 
ger for  a  season,  losing  in  the  neighborhood  of  $50,000.  The  next 
year,  Burghardt  and  Stein  were  in  control,  and  then  Burghardt 
assumed  the  responsibility  alone.  Amberg  brought  Possari;  over 
to  the  theatre,  which,  during  1910-11,  was  under  his  management. 
Then  Baumfeld's  regime  began,  followed  by  Rudolph  Christians, 
the  present  incumbent. 


THE   LIFE   OF    HEINRICII    CONRIED  109 

who,  in  "Der  Letzte  Brief"  (February  17, 
1901),  Heinrich  Laube's  version  of  Sardou's 
"Scrap  of  Paper,"  exhibited  j^olished  acting. 

In  1901-02,  Hedwig  Ostermann  was  one  of 
the  leading  figures  in  the  casts.  Her  work  in 
Sudermann's  "St.  John's  Fire"  (November  6, 
1901)  was  distinctive  in  its  technique.  As 
usual,  Mr.  Conried  sought  to  combine  novelty 
of  material  with  variety  of  casts.  When  the 
theatre  opened  on  October  1,  1901,  he  pre- 
sented Paul  Hej^se's  "The  Veiled  Image  at 
Sa'is."  The  theatre  had  been  redecorated,  and 
Herr  Reimann,  of  the  Royal  Theater  in  Kissin- 
gen,  Herr  Rottmann,  of  the  Court  Theater 
in  Hanover,  Fraulein  Brandt,  of  the  Court 
Theater  in  Weisbaden,  made  their  debuts.  I 
mention  this  as  typical  of  the  scope  of  the 
Conried  regime.  A  little  exercise  of  the  imag- 
ination will  impress  one  with  the  fact  that  in 
order  to  obtain  new  actors  while  abroad,  Mr. 
Conried  had  to  ferret  in  out-of-the-way  cor- 
ners, and  pick  and  choose.  This  he  always  did 
with  quickness  and  wisdom.  Many  a  night 
would  be  spent  hastening  to  some  remote  art 
centre  in  Germany,  where  he  had  been  informed 
of  some  worthy  actor  waiting  for  his  chance. 
It  was  Germany  transferred  to  Irving  Place. 

The  time  will  come  when  some  enthusiastic 


110  THE   LIFE   OF    HEINRICH    CONRIED 

university  student  will  compile  a  complete  list 
of  the  Conried  repertory,  and  from  that  list 
will  argue  as  to  the  full  value  of  the  Conried 
regime.  But,  in  doing  so,  he  will  find  him- 
self discussing  the  German  drama  as  a  whole. 
The  audiences  of  those  days  were  familiar  with 
the  names  of  such  dramatists  as  Friedrich 
Halm,  Max  Dreyer,  Benno  Jacobson,  Erich 
Hartleben,  and  others  of  like  weight.  To  ob- 
tain, his  plays,  Mr.  Conried  did  not  go  blindly 
to  work;  he  became  personally  familiar  with 
whatever  drama  he  accepted  for  presentation. 
The  intellectual  effect  of  this  alone  was  marked 
upon  his  character.  In  other  directions  he  may 
not  have  been  a  deeply  read  man,  but  his  laiowl- 
edge  of  the  German  drama  in  the  concrete  was 
as  large  as,  if  not  larger  than,  that  of  the  most 
educated  German  of  his  day. 

There  is  a  phase  of  his  activity  which  we  are 
about  to  consider — a  phase  which  made  of  the 
Irving  Place  Theatre  one  of  the  most  consid- 
erable educational  institutions  of  art  in  this 
country.  I  refer  to  the  relationship  existing 
between  Mr.  Conried  and  the  universities.  We 
shall  have  something  to  say  of  the  lectures  and 
performances  given  elsewhere  than  on  the  stage 
of  his  theatre,  and  of  the  recognition  he  re- 
ceived because  of  this  outside  activity. 


SOXNKXTHAL    AND    CONRIED    AT    BAD    GASTEIN 
In  Later  Life 


THE   LIFE   OF   HEINRICH    CONRIED  111 

Suffice  it  here  to  say  that  on  March  21,  1901, 
the  one  hundred  and  fiftieth  birthday  of  Goethe 
was  celebrated  in  the  gala  fashion   so  charac- 
teristic of  Conried.     The  play  was  "Iphigenie 
auf  Tauris,"  with  Orestes  played  by  Karl  Wag- 
ner and  the  title  role  by  Martha  Schiffel.    On?y 
a  few  weeks  after,  during  a  period  of  opera  at 
the  Irving  Place  Theatre,  Madame  Schumann- 
Heink    sang    in    "Das    Versprechen    Hinter'm 
Herd" — a  foreshadowing  of  closer  relationship 
which   was   to   exist   between   the   two    as   im- 
presario and  prima  donna. 
^^  Helene    Odilon  *    was    one    of    the    famous 
"guests"  of  the  next  season.     She  was  a  Vien- 
nese player  of  emotional  parts.    Sonnenthal  and 
Ferdinand   Bonn   also   appeared.      We   note   a 
typical  week  at  the  Irving  Place,  over  which 
the   German   public   might   justly   exult.      On 
April  22,  1902,  Sonnenthal  played  "Nathan  der 
Weise."  ^  The  next  evening,   Odilon   appeared 
in  Fulda's  "Die  Zwillingsschwester" ;  while  on 
the  14th  and  15th,  Sonnenthal  gave  "Der  Mar- 
quis von  Villemer."    The  following  night,  Bonn 
and  Sonnenthal  combined  their  talents  in  "King- 
Lear." 

Ferdinand  Bonn  was  somewhat  of  a  disap- 
pointment   to    Conried,    for,    being    physically 

■^  See  Theatre  Magazine,  May,  1902. 


112  THE   LIFE   OF   HEINRICH    CONRIED 

brawny  and  thorouglily  Teutonic  in  sentiment 
— being  likewise  addicted  to  a  certain  solemn 
and  heavy  demeanor — he  was  not  popular 
among  those  of  the  Irving  Place  clientele  who 
were  not  traditionally  brought  up  in  the  old, 
solid  school  of  acting.  However,  when  he  re- 
turned the  following  season  (January-Febru- 
ary, 1903),  he  was  better  received.  His  per- 
formance of  Felix  Philippi's  "The  Great  Light" 
was  a  noteworthy  study  of  insanity,  powerful 
in  its  realism.*  His  Hamlet — a  blond  one,  by 
the  way — had  none  of  the  spiritual  sensitive- 
ness associated  with  the  part.  He  appeared 
in  several  of  his  own  pieces,  a  mixture  of  orig- 
inality and  adaptation,  but  these  only  served 
to  show  how  much  better  he  was  as  an  actor 
than  as  as  playwright.  With  Camilla  Dalberg, 
he  gave  a  breezj^  performance  of  "The  Taming 
of  the  Shrew,"  and  in  his  own  piece,  "The  Pas- 
tor's Son,"  he  preached  to  the  public  the  evil 
effects  of  scandal,  at  the  same  time  announcing 
that  the  piece  was  autobiographical.  His  Rich- 
ard III.  never  thrilled.  It  only  served  to  il- 
lustrate that,  at  the  Irving  Place  Theatre, 
though  there  was  much  hard  work  expended 
on  Shakespearian  productions,  none  of  them, 
in  the  words  of  the  current  Press,  "rose  above 

*  For  Bonn,  see  Theatre  Magazine,  May,  1902. 


THE    LIFE   OF    HEINEICH    CONRIED  113 

the  level  of  respectable  mediocrity — none  of 
them  had  even  a  flash  of  genius  in  them." 

As  for  Odilon,  a  woman  of  great  beauty  and 
charm,  during  her  engagement  she  was  sup- 
ported by  the  flower  of  Conried's  stock  com- 
pany. In  her  acting  she  displaj^ed  great  frank- 
ness; her  manner  was  wholesome,  and  in  bear- 
ing she  exhibited  superb  womanliness.  Her 
premiere  was  in  Hermann  Bahr's  "Der  Star," 
after  which  she  was  seen  to  advantage  in  "Ca- 
mille,"  though  she  failed  to  reach  the  emotional 
pitch  expected  of  her.  In  Fulda's  "Die  Zwil- 
lingsschwester,"  there  was  ample  opportunity 
to  demonstrate  her  talents  for  comedy.  If 
casual  reference  is  to  be  relied  upon,  it  was 
during  this  time  that  Conried  himself  appeared, 
in  conjunction  with  Odilon  and  Bonn,  in  a 
German  version  of  "La  Robe  Rouge,"  by 
Brieux. 

It  is  well  to  pause  here  and  weigh  some- 
thing of  Herr  Conried's  own  attitude  toward 
the  work  he  was  doing.  Surely  there  was  some- 
thing more  to  his  activity  than  mere  managerial- 
ship.  Let  us  grant  that  at  times  he  was  vain- 
glorious; let  us  grant  that  as  a  business  man 
he  had  an  eye  toward  the  furtherance  of  his 
business  schemes;  still  does  the  mere  enumera- 
tion of  the  stage  history  at  the  Irving  Place 


114  THE    LIFE    OF    HEINRICH    CONRIED 

Theatre  contain  something  exhilarating  in  it. 
The  seasons  could  not  have  been  brilliant  had 
there  not  been  some  force  akin  to  genius  behind 
them.  Other  managers  of  the  same  house  can 
hardly  be  compared  with  him,  for  not  only  have 
conditions  in  the  German  Theatre  of  New  York 
changed,  as  we  have  said,  but  Conried's  own 
personality  had  a  great  deal  to  do  with  his 
success.  Lay  the  cause  of  the  brilliancy  of  his 
regime  to  the  brilliant  resources  at  hand  in 
Germany,  the  resources  to-day  are  still  the  same 
as  they  were  then,  and  the  German  Theatre 
in  New  York  is  on  the  wane.  The  German 
drama  is  still  representative  of  the  best  of  in- 
tellectual Germany,  yet  its  force  has  not  been 
able  to  give  aid  to  the  commendable  efforts  of 
Herr  Christians.  From  what  I  know  of  Herr 
Conried's  personality,  I  feel  sure  that  he  would 
have  given  new  force  to  the  dying  spirit  of  '48, 
if  he  had  been  alive  to-day;  he  would  have  kept 
the  Irving  Place  Theatre  at  its  height  through 
its  very  hold  on  the  best  in  German  drama. 
Conried  maintained  this  hold  during  the  years 
of  his  active  interest  in  the  playhouse,  and  he 
did  it,  not  alone  through  the  exercise  of  a  cer- 
tain clever  business  foresight,  but  through  a  cer- 
tain intellectual  enthusiasm  which  he  had — 
though  there  be  some  who  would  deny  it  to  him. 


CHAPTER   IV 

Heinrich  Conried  and  the  University:  Affiliation,  lec- 
tures, benefit  performances.  Honors:  Yale,  Harvard, 
Columbia,  Pennsylvania,  Cornell,  Vassar,  and  other 
institutions.  The  Classic  Drama  at  the  Irving  Place 
Theatre.  The  Modern  Literary  Stage..  Conried's  artis- 
tic ideals  as  displayed  in  the  German  Theatre.  Mr. 
Conried  in  Court:  versus  Witmark;  versus  the  widow 
of  Johann  Strauss.  Plans  for  a  new  Irving  Place 
Theatre. 

THE  reputation  of  Mr.  Conried  as  a  pro- 
ducing manager  was  not  alone  confined 
to  New  York ;  it  extended  throughout  the 
United  States,  and  won  for  him  a  most  en- 
viable standing  among  intellectual  circles.  The 
colleges  encouraged  their  students  to  see  the 
Irving  Place  productions,  and  Mr.  Conried 
himself  arranged  so  that  special  rates  were 
offered  them.  Because  of  this,  it  was  not  long 
before  the  Irving  Place  Theatre  came  to  be 
considered  by  all  as  an  educational  institution. 
Conried  coveted  the  prestige  that  university 
patronage  would  give  him,  and,  as  a  side  issue 
— by  his  interest,  enthusiasm,  and  actual  assist- 
ance— he  started  a  Deutscher  Verein  in  more 
than  one  college. 

115 


.116  THE   LIFE    or    HEINRICH    CONRIED 

Professor  William  H.  Carpenter,  of  Colum- 
bia University,  during  the  time  he  held  the 
chair  of  Germanic  Languages,  was  in  constant 
association  with  the  Herr  Director,  and  for 
thirteen  years  he  had  a  box  at  the  theatre,  and 
was  able  to  follow  the  work  of  the  stock  com- 
pany minutely.  With  keen  discernment,  he  rec- 
ognized in  Mr.  Conried  something  more  than 
the  mere  executive  genius. 

"I  hope,"  he  said,  "you  will  emphasize  in 
Mr.  Conried  the  vigorous  idealism  which  col- 
ored all  his  work.  I  do  not  think  he  has  ever 
been  given  his  just  due  as  a  man.  Though  there 
be  two  sides  to  every  case,  he  was  badly  treated 
by  the  Press,  which  saw  nothing  good  in  him, 
and  too  strongly  imputed  to  him  those  commer- 
cial motives  which  have  decreased  his  share  of 
credit  as  Director  of  the  Metropolitan  Opera 
House.  I  have  never  been  able  to  reconcile 
to  myself  why  there  was  such  opposition  to 
him. 

"I  was  at  the  University  of  Leipzig  when  I 
first  met  Conried,  but  I  did  not  see  much  of  him 
until  he  came  to  New  York.  Then  it  was  that 
together  we  reached  an  intellectual  understand- 
ing of  the  German  Theatre.  I  often  tried  to 
draw  him  outside  of  his  set  interests.  He  was 
exceedingly    well-read    in    German    literature, 


HEINRICH    CONRIED:     LECTURER 


THE    LIFE   OF    HEINRICH    CONRIED  117 

partly  because  the  great  ratio  of  that  literature 
is  for  the  stage.  He  not  only  knew  about 
Schiller  and  Goethe,  in  the  general  sense,  but 
he  also  knew  them  in  their  deeper  significance 
and  national  relationship.  When  he  familiar- 
ized himself  with  a  play,  he  had  it  in  its  every 
detail,  and  I  verily  believe  he  could  have  taken 
any  actor's  role  at  a  moment's  notice,  without 
any  preparation,  and  without  additional  study 
or  rehearsal.  He  was  always  like  a  live  wire 
of  understanding. 

"There  was  something  fascinating  about  his 
personality,  and  something  generous  about  his 
friendship.  Whenever  I  came  to  the  German 
Theatre,  he  always  spoke  of  me  as  the  Director, 
because,  I  remember  at  one  time,  I  was  called 
in  on  a  technical  matter  during  rehearsal,  and 
was  able  to  set  them  right.  But  Conried  only 
accepted  suggestion  when  he  was  assured  of  its 
rightness;  otherwise  he  would  rather  follow  his 
own  instinct  and  be  wrong.  He  was  the  kind 
of  man  who  was  the  strong  centre  wherever  he 
was;  by  vigor  and  swiftness  he  monopolized 
conversation;  and  if  people  wouldn't  let  him 
do  this,  he  would  draw  within  himself  like  a 
child. 

"I  started  him  on  his  lecture  campaign  at 
Columbia,   and   I   believe  he  was   sincerely  in- 


118  THE   LIFE   OF   HEINRICH    CONRIED 

terested  in  doing  this  service  for  the  University. 
Of  course,  it  wasn't  wholly  disinterested,  for, 
by  affiliating  himself  with  the  universities,  he 
only  increased  his  own  audiences  the  more. 
Before  this  he  had  often  lectured  at  the  Irving 
Place  Theatre,  talking  from  notes — lectures  of 
more  formal  character  than  those  he  delivered 
in  after  years.  If  these  notes  have  been  de- 
stroyed, it  will  be  unfortunate,  for  they  con- 
tained ample  evidence  of  his  keenness  of  mind. 
They  were  well  written;  they  showed  a  breadth 
of  reading  that  was  surprising  in  one  so  busy. 
I  have  to  smile  at  the  picture  of  the  lecturer 
conjured  up  in  my  mind.  Conried  was  ever  the 
actor;  he  used  to  be  punctilious  regarding  his 
entrance,  and  would  always  wait  until  his  audi- 
ence was  entirely  seated  before  he  came  upon 
the  stage.  Then,  with  his  opera-hat  under  his 
arm,  and  wearing  white  gloves,  he  would  stand 
and  look  his  audience  over.  Slowly  and  delib- 
erately, he  would  be  drawing  off  those  gloves 
meanwhile.  Then,  laying  them  neatly  by  the 
rim  of  his  hat,  he  would  begin — ^never  once 
unconscious  of  the  actor  in  him. 

"All  students  in  my  classes  went  religiously 
to  the  Irving  Place  Theatre.  The  power  of 
visualization  is  great,  especially  when  a  play 
has  to  be  read  or  studied.    One  day  I  was  talk- 


THE   LIFE  OF    HEINRICH    CONRIED  119 

ing  to  Professor  Kuno  Francke,  of  Harvard, 
about  this,  and  telling  him  of  the  advantage 
of  having  the  Irving  Place  Theatre  almost  as 
a  laboratory  for  my  students.  And  it  was  dur- 
ing this  conversation  that  I  suggested  the 
scheme  of  having  Conried  visit  Cambridge  with 
his  company.  *Do  you  think  he  would  do  it?' 
asked  the  Professor,  skeptically.  I  had  pre- 
viously suggested  the  scheme  to  the  Director, 
and  he  had  eagerly  assented  to  the  proposal. 
So  I  took  Francke  to  the  Irving  Place  Theatre, 
and  it  was  not  long  before  the  details  were  ar- 
ranged. In  my  copy  of  the  Harvard  edition 
of  'Iphigenie,'  which  Conried  gave  me  and 
which  was  the  play  selected  for  the  occasion, 
there  is  this  inscription  on  the  fly-leaf:  'To  one 
who  made  the  performance  possible.'  I  went 
with  the  company  to  Harvard.  Conried  used 
always  to  make  these  excursions  to  the  uni- 
versities sort  of  family  parties,  and  would  sur- 
round himself  with  his  friends. 

*'I  was  often  at  his  house  to  dinner,  and  I 
was  with  him  on  many  special  occasions  when 
he  had  guests.  I  was  called  in  for  consultation 
when  he  first  seriously  contemplated  accepting 
the  Metropolitan  Opera  House  offer.  He  was, 
I  remember,  much  perturbed  over  the  matter. 
'Do  you  believe  you   can  do   it,   Heinrich?'   I 


120  THE   LIFE   OF   HEINRICH    CONRIED 

asked,  and  the  reply  was  a  decisive  'Yes.'  I 
was  with  him  on  the  occasion  of  the  Sunday 
dinner  to  Fulda,  and  I  remember  the  perfect 
table  appointments,  and  the  ice-cream  which 
was  cast  in  the  form  of  a  set  of  books.  The 
Conried  home  relationship  was  a  beautiful  one, 
though  it  was  dominated  by  a  certain  parental 
sternness  which  exercised  itself  particularly  on 
young  Dick."  * 

It  is  almost  impossible  to  do  more  than  gain 
a  scattered  impression  of  Mr.  Conried's  lectures, 
inasmuch  as  the  notes  have  all  been  mislaid. 
There  are  inadequate  reports  of  them  in  the 
newspapers  and  college  magazines,  hasty  re- 
sumes, made  by  the  casual  listener.  I  find  that 
on  March  11,  1901,  Mr.  Conried  addressed  the 
American  Academy  of  Dramatic  Arts  on  "The 
Theatre,"  in  the  course  of  which  he  said: 

"The  Germans  consider  three  factors  in  edu- 
cation— the  school,  the  church,  the  theatre.  It 
grieves  me  that  in  this  glorious  country  I  have 
never  heard  the  theatre  mentioned  in  connec- 
tion with  education.  When  people  here  speak 
of  the  theatre,  they  discuss  the  White  Rats, 
White  Mice,  and  Lambs.     They  never  discuss 

*  See  Columbia  University  Quarterly,  June,  1900, — Carpenter 
on  Conried,  p.  290.  Conried  had  given  a  special  performance 
of  "Iphigenie"  on  Marcli  21,  1900,  at  the  Irving  Place  Theatre, 
for  one  hundred  and  fifty  students. 


THE   LIFE   OF    HEINRICH    CONRIED  121 

the  theatre  itself  seriously,  and  there  is  much 
reason  why  this  is  so." 

The  greatest  reason  to  Mr.  Conried  was  the 
absence  of  any  subsidized  principle;  only  by 
subsidy  would  it  be  possible  for  America  to 
maintain  the  theatre  standard  found  in  Europe. 

"To  become  a  manager  of  one  of  those 
theatres,"  he  said,  *'I  must  send  to  the  city 
authorities  documents  that  prove  my  education 
to  be  such  that  I  am  fit  to  become  the  head  of 
an  educational  institution.  I  should  also  have 
to  prove  that  my  moral  character  was  good, 
and  to  deposit  a  certain  sum  of  money.  In  cases 
of  a  speculative  theatre,  the  deposit  must  be 
much  larger.  Apply  this  condition  of  things 
to  our  own  country,  and — I  don't  think  I  need 
add  one  word  more." 

And  what,  to  Mr.  Conried,  was  the  essential 
differences  between  German  and  American  au- 
diences ? 

"The  American  goes  to  the  theatre  for  amuse- 
ment only.  The  German  playgoer  wants  to 
take  something  home  with  him.  He  lives  on 
discussions  of  the  play,  making  the  theme  serve 
him  as  food  for  thought  for  many  days.  The 
American  theatregoer  does  not  think.  He  never 
stops  to  consider  the  ridiculousness  of  electric 
lights    bursting    from    an    orange    grove    in    a 


122  THE   LIFE    or    HEINRICH    CONRIED 

'L'Aiglon'*  production  at  a  period  when  Edison 
hadn't  been  born." 

After  all,  the  only  way  to  be  a  manager  of  a 
theatre  was  to  own  such  an  ideal  playhouse  as 
the  Vienna  Court  Theater.  In  the  course  of 
this  address,  Mr.  Conried  had  much  to  say 
about  the  manager  of  the  subsidized  theatre. 

"He  is  bound  b}^  his  contract  to  engage  a  com- 
pany that  can  play  the  Shakespearian  dramas 
and  light  comedy.  There  is  no  question  of 
'line  of  business.'  I  hate  the  expression.  Busi- 
ness has  nothing  to  do  with  the  stage.  During 
the  season,  he  must  produce  three  Shakespearian 
plays,  three  of  Goethe's  works,  three  of  Schil- 
ler's, one  of  Lessing's,  one  of  Moliere's.  If 
grand  opera  is  given,  provision  is  made  for  the 
operas  of  Beethoven,  Mozart,  Haydn,  and 
others.  No  one  play,  however  successful  it  be 
from  the  view  of  the  box-office,  dare  be  pro- 
duced on  consecutive  nights.  The  repertoire 
must  be  changed  four  times  a  week." 

In  this  strain  he  went  on  to  paint  the  pic- 
ture of  theatrical  conditions  abroad,  and  the 
more  he  painted  the  more  direful  he  made  con- 
ditions in  America — noticeably  in  New  York. 
He  expressed  a  hope  for  the  future  of  stock 

*  The  New  York  Journal  calls  attention  to  the  fact  that  Conried 
once  took  Miss  Adams  over  the  Court  Theatre,  and  gave  her 
many  suggestions,  while  she  was  studying  the  role  of  L'Aiglon. 


THE   LIFE  OF    HEINRICH    CONRIED  123 

companies,  and  then,  for  the  benefit  of  the  Sar- 
gent pupils,  whom  he  was  addressing  on  this, 
their  graduation,  he  formulated  three  rides: 

"1st.  Never  place  two  supers   together. 

"2nd.  Never  place  your  people  less  than  two 
feet  apart. 

"3rd.  Let  each  super  act  with  an  actor,  and 
with  one  who  is  about  ten  feet  distant.  The 
necessity  of  expressing  at  that  distance  gives 
him  life." 

The  newspapers  came  to  the  rescue  of  the 
American  Theatre,  and  asserted,  with  some  show 
of  truth,  that  the  reason  Mr.  Conried  was  con- 
tinually throwing  the  Vienna  Burg  Theater  in 
our  faces  was  that  such  an  institution  was 
founded  upon  his  "inborn  Teutonic  love  of 
bureaucracy  and  officialism."  And  after  all, 
said  one  rejDort,  let  Mr.  Conried  laugh  at 
American  drama  as  he  may,  there  is  nothing  in 
our  native  drama  so  poor  as  a  poor  German 
farce.  Which  is  begging  the  argument,  but 
none  the  less  getting  even! 

I  have  gone  through  the  files  of  the  differ- 
ent college  papers,  in  the  hope  of  finding  ade- 
quate synopses  of  the  lectures  which  Mr.  Con- 
ried repeated  so  many  times  at  different  places. 
But  there  is  nothing  that  will  properly  repre- 
sent his  whole  treatment  of  the  subjects  under 


124!  THE    LIFE    OF    HEINRICH    CONRIED 

discussion.  Stray  references  to  his  appearance, 
and  to  the  invariable  receptions  given  to  him 
afterward,  are  all  I  have  had  to  guide  me, 
together  with  letters  from  the  secretaries  of  the 
colleges,  giving  me  the  actual  dates  and  names 
of  the  lectures.  We  know,  for  instance,  that 
whenever  he  talked  of  the  modern  drama,  he 
always  began  by  giving  an  excellent  resume  of 
the  realistic  school  of  dramatists  in  Germany, 
represented  by  Hau^Dtmann  and  Sudermann. 
Then  he  gave  ample  consideration  to  Dreyer, 
Schnitzler,  and  Hartleben,  as  men  of  future 
magnitude.  He  was  most  emphatic  regard- 
ing the  effect  of  realistic  drama  on  acting. 
Naturally  given  to  florid  expression  and  to  ro- 
mantic gesture,  he  held  that  the  modern  inti- 
mate type  of  theatre  failed  to  make  demands 
on  great  acting  talents.  He  never  failed  to 
express  the  hope  that  the  time  would  not  be  far 
distant  when  the  younger  playwrights  would 
see  things  more  with  "the  eyes  of  their  mother." 
Then,  more  than  likely,  he  would  close  this 
lecture,  as  he  did  before  Vassar  College,  on 
February  11,  1903,  with  a  reading  from  Schil- 
ler's "Das  verschleierte  Bild  zu  Sais,"  and 
"Die  Kraniche  des  Ibicus." 

Most  of  these  lectures  were  delivered  in  Eng- 
lish, but  it  was  considered  a  privilege  to  hear 


THE   LIFE    OF    IIEINRICH    CONRIED  125 

Mr.  Conried,  whenever  he  spoke  in  German. 
I  have  before  me  an  editorial  in  the  Yale  News 
for  March  21,  1900,  which  states: 

"We  are  very  glad  that  the  German  Club  has 
announced  that  Mr.  Conried  will  speak  in 
German,  at  the  Art  School,  Friday  evening 
[March  23].  .  .  .  Mr.  Conried  speaks  Eng- 
lish fluently,  but  it  is  a  matter  of  principle  with 
him  not  to  give  his  initial  lecture,  especially  his 
celebrated  one  on  'The  Stage,'  in  any  language 
except  German,  in  the  mastery  of  which  there 
are  few  to  excel  him.  Mr.  Conried  enters  into 
his  delivery  with  such  artistic  versatility  .  .  . 
that  even  the  poorest  German  scholar  can  follow 
him  with  ease  and  pleasure." 

On  March  22,  1900,  it  being  the  sixty-eighth 
anniversary  of  the  death  of  Goethe,  Mr.  Con- 
ried took  his  Irving  Place  Theatre  Company  to 
Harvard,  for  a  reproduction  of  "Iphigenie  auf 
Tauris,"  in  Sanders  Theatre.  Kuno  Francke, 
Harvard  Professor  of  German  Literature,  and 
Curator  of  the  German  Museum,  wrote  an  ex- 
tended review  of  this  performance  for  TJie 
Natio7i*  (N.  Y.),  which  is  quoted  as  Professor 
Francke's  tribute  to  one  who  did  so  much  for 
the  perpetuation  of  German  ideals  on  the  stage: 

"When,   in    1787,    Goethe's   'Iphigenie'   first 

*  March  29,  1900, 


126  THE   LIFE   OF   HEINRICH    CONRIED 

appeared  in  book  form,  it  was  received  with 
lukewarmness,  if  not  indifference.  Even  the 
intimate  friends  of  the  poet  were  disappointed. 
They  had  expected  something  in  the  vein  of 
'Gotz'  or  'Werther,'  something  impetuous,  vio- 
lent, revolutionary;  and  they  could  not  help 
considering  the  measured  rhythm  of  this  dra- 
matic symphony  a  regrettable  submission  to 
conventional  form.  They  dismissed  it  as  an 
artistic  failure.  The  day  before  j^esterday,  on 
the  sixty-eighth  anniversary  of  Goethe's  death, 
'Iphigenie'  was  performed  at  Sanders  Theatre, 
before  throngs  of  Harvard  students,  nearly  the 
whole  of  the  Harvard  faculty,  and  the  intel- 
lectual elite  of  Boston  and  Cambridge;  and  it 
is  no  exaggeration  to  say  that  never  have  the 
walls  of  this  academic  sanctuary  resounded 
with  outbursts  of  more  genuine  delight  than 
those  which  that  evening  broke  forth  from  the 
crowded  audience  at  the  end  of  every  one  of 
the  five  acts.  So  striking  a  vindication  of  what 
is  truly  and  unostentatiously  great  is  a  matter 
of  deep  rejoicing  for  those  who  believe  in  the 
spiritual  mission  of  art.  It  is  an  event  of  more 
than  local  or  provincial,  nay,  of  more  than 
merely  national  significance.  And  the  ques- 
tion seems  well  worth  asking,  what  the  circum- 
stances were  which  brought  about  this  ovation 


I 


THE    LIFE  OF    HEINRICH    CONRIED  127 

to  German  genius  in  the  most  im-German  of  the 
literary  centres  of  America. 

"The  initial  impulse  came  from  a  man  whose 
name  will  enduringly  be  associated  with  that 
of  the  late  Augustin  Daly,  as  belonging  to  the 
small  company  of  American  theatrical  managers 
to  whom  the  stage  is  more  than  an  opportunity 
for  business  ventures — Heinrich  Conried,  Di- 
rector of  the  Irving  Place  Theatre  of  New 
York.  Having  received  his  artistic  training  at 
such  model  institutions  as  the  Vienna  Burg 
Theater,  the  Leipzic  Stadt  Theater,  and  the 
company  of  the  Duke  of  Meiningen,  this  man 
has  now  for  more  than  a  decade  devoted  his 
best  energies  to  the  elevation  of  the  American 
stage,  and  the  result  of  his  labors  has  been 
that  New  York  has  now  at  least  one  permanent 
theatrical  organization  which  stands  for  the 
traditions  of  true  histrionic  art, — thoughtfulness, 
refinement,  cultivation  of  form,  subordination 
of  the  parts  to  the  whole,  submission  of  the 
actor  to  the  poet — in  short,  for  everything  that 
is  opposed  to  the  vicious  'star*  system.  It  is 
due  to  Mr.  Conried  that  such  great  artists  as 
Sonnenthal,  Kainz,  Possart,  Agnes  Sorma,  can 
be  seen  in  this  country  in  a  worthy  and 
thoroughly  harmonious  ensemble;  it  is  due  to 
him    that    Hauptmann    and     Sudermann    are 


128  THE    LIFE    OF    HEINRICH    CONEIED 

being  brought  out  simultaneously  in  Berlin  and 
New  York;  it  is  due  to  him  that  'Wallenstein' 
and  'Faust'  have  recently  entered  upon  a  most 
promising  transatlantic  career. 

"It  was  not  surprising,  therefore,  although 
most  gratifying,  that  when,  some  months  ago, 
Mr.  Conried  was  asked  whether  he  was  willing 
to  follow  up  his  generous  services,  previously 
rendered  to  Columbia  University  and  the  Uni- 
versity of  Pennsylvania,  by  a  similar  service 
to  Harvard  University,  he  should  have  answered 
with  a  very  emphatic  and  spontaneous  'Yes,' 
adding:  'I  have  alwaj^s  been  convinced  that 
the  university,  the  church,  and  the  stage  are 
the  three  great  educational  forces  of  national 
life.'  It  was  also  not  surprising  that  he  should 
have  been  willing  to  have  the  entire  proceeds 
of  the  proposed  undertaldng  go  toward  en- 
larging the  fund  for  our  projected  Germanic 
Museum.  Nor  was  it  surprising  that  he  should 
have  selected  'Iphigenie,'  as  the  worthiest  pro- 
duction of  artistic  genius,  to  represent  German 
ideals  to  a  distinctly  academic  audience  at  the 
foremost  of  American  universities. 

"Fundamental,  and  in  their  way  unrivalled, 
as  were  Mr.  Conried's  services,  the  undertaking 
could  not  have  been  the  phenomenal  success 
that  it  was,  had  not  the  parts  of  the  protagon- 


THE    LIFE   OF    HEINRICH    CONRIED  129 

ists  been  in  the  hands  of  two  artists  of  surpass- 
ing excellence, — Martha  Schiffel  and  Carl 
Wagner.  Carl  Wagner's  Orestes  was  an 
achievement  which  brought  to  my  mind  the 
words  in  which  Eckermann,  after  the  Weimar 
performance,  of  1827,  described  to  Goethe  the 
impression  produced  upon  him  by  Kriiger's 
impersonation  of  the  same  part: 

"  'Whatever  in  this  role,'  said  Eckermann, 
'belongs  to  ecstatic,  visionary  intuition,  came 
forth  from  his  innermost  being  by  means  of 
gesture  and  voice,  in  such  a  manner  that  one 
fancied  himself  seeing  it  with  his  own  eyes.  At 
the  sight  of  this  Orestes,  Schiller  would  surely 
not  have  missed  the  Furies  in  the  play:  they 
were  chasing  him,  they  were  all  about  him. 
The  beautiful  scene  where  Orestes,  awaking 
from  the  swoon,  believes  himself  transported 
into  the  nether  world,  was  amazingl}^  effective. 
We  saw  the  procession  of  ancestors,  walking  in 
confiding  converse,  we  saw  Orestes  approach- 
ing them,  addressing  them,  and  joining  their 
company.  We  felt  transported  ourselves,  and 
received  into  the  midst  of  the  blessed:  so  pure, 
so  deep  was  the  feeling  of  the  artist,  so  great 
his  power  of  bringing  before  our  eyes  the  in- 
visible.' 

"If  Eckermann  had  been  at  Sanders  Theatre, 


130  THE    LIFE   OF    HEINRICH    CONRIED 

he  would  have  applied  this  praise,  word  for 
word,  to  Carl  Wagner;  and  he  would  have 
added,  I  think,  that  Wagner's  Orestes  was 
equally  noble  in  his  heroic  moods,  in  his  despair- 
ing retrosj^ect  upon  the  time  when  he  could 
still  dream  of  great  deeds  to  be  done,  and  in 
his  passionate  outburst  of  joy  when  he,  for  the 
first  time,  feels  the  cloud  of  madness  lifted  from 
his  head,  and  sees  the  light  of  day  returning. 

"The  glory  of  the  evening,  however,  was 
Martha  Schiffel;  for  if  Wagner's  Orestes  was 
an  achievement,  her  Iphigenia  was  a  gift  from 
the  gods.  I  have  no  words  to  describe  ade- 
quately the  artistic  character  of  this  wonderful 
woman.  But  I  may  perhaps  be  permitted,  as 
a  slight  illustration  of  the  truly  human  quality 
of  her  genius,  to  relate  a  little  personal  ex- 
perience which  I  had  with  Fraulein  Schiffel  a 
few  days  before  the  performance.  Proceeding 
on  the  common  supposition  that  actors  on  the 
whole  are  not  averse  to  publicity,  I  wrote  to 
her  suggesting  that,  if  she  wished  to  have  her 
portrait  appear  in  one  of  the  Boston  news- 
papers, I  should  be  glad  to  make  the  necessary 
arrangements.  Her  answer  was  that  she  would 
willingly  send  me  her  photograph,  but  that  un- 
fortunately she  didn't  have  any!  A  heroine 
without  a  photograph — this  phrase   one  might 


THE    LIFE   OF    HEINRICH    CONRIED  131 

employ  to  indicate  the  secret  of  the  inexpres- 
sible charm  exerted  by  Fraulein  Schiffel's  act- 
ing on  the  Iphigenia  evening.  Here  there 
was  nothing  of  the  virtuoso,  not  a  suggestion 
of  technical  tricks,  not  a  suspicion  of  artificial 
posing.  Here  everything  was  the  generous  and 
free  effusion  of  a  soul;  here  there  was  an  in- 
stinctive reaching  out  into  the  divine;  here 
Nature  herself  had  been  converted  into  art. 
What  humility  by  the  side  of  majestic  gran- 
deur, what  tenderness  by  the  side  of  austere 
solemnity,  what  repose  by  the  side  of  deepest 
yearning,  what  harmony  and  grace  by  the  side 
of  passionate  pathos!  Truly,  in  this  woman  the 
Greek  virago  and  the  Christian  saint  were  com- 
bined; and,  as  she  stood  leaning  on  the  sacri- 
ficial column,  and  in  noble  abstraction  chanted 
to  herself  the  prodigious  song  of  the  Parcae,  one 
could  not  help  seeing  in  her  a  perfect  embodi- 
ment of  that  ideal  beauty  of  which  Schiller 
dreamed : 

"  'NicLt  der  Masse  qualvoll  abgerungen, 

Schlank  und  leicht,  wie  aus  dem  Nichts  gesprungen, 

Steht  das  Bild  vor  dem  entziickten  Bliek, 

Alle  Zweifel,  alle  Kampfe  schweigen 

In  des  Sieges  hoher  Siclierheit; 

Ausgestossen  hat  es  jeden  Zeugen 

Mensehlicher  Bediirftigkeit.' 


132  THE    LIFE    OF   IIEINRICH    CONRIED 

"And,  finally,  the  audience.  What  a  remark- 
able gathering  of  spectators  it  was!  We  Ger- 
mans take  a  just  pride  in  our  ability  to  appre- 
ciate foreign  genius,  in  our  having  received 
Homer  and  Shakespeare  and  Dante  into  the 
company  of  German  classics.  But  here  there 
was  an  audience  to  whom  a  foreign  poet  was 
presented  in  his  own  language,  a  language  which 
by  the  vast  majority  of  the  hearers  was  barely 
understood.  And  yet  this  multitude  not  only 
listened  with  respectful  attention;  it  followed 
the  rise  and  fall  of  the  dramatic  movement  with 
an  instinctive  discrimination,  with  a  noble  en- 
thusiasm, nay,  with  a  religious  awe  such  as 
I  have  hardly  ever  witnessed  before.  It  seemed 
to  feel  every  delicate  shade  of  poetic  meaning; 
it  was  alternately  spellbound  and  carried  away; 
now  wi-apt  in  breathless  silence,  now  breaking 
forth  into  shouts  of  joy.  Would  that  Goethe 
could  have  seen  this  audience;  he  would  have 
felt  that  'Iphigenie'  was  not  written  in  vain. 

"Yes,  this  evening  was  a  triumph  of  German 
art.  But  it  was  also  a  triumph  of  American 
civilization.  For  I  doubt  whether  such  spon- 
taneous outbursts  of  gratitude  for  an  aesthetic 
treat  of  the  most  subtle  sort  offered  by  foreign- 
ers would  have  been  possible  in  any  other 
country  than  America.     I  doubt  whether  any- 


THE    LIFE   OF    IIEINRICH    CONRIED  133 

where  but  here  such  a  remark  could  have  been 
heard  as  I  heard  that  evening  from  an  Ameri- 
can friend  of  mine:  'I  am  thankful  that  I 
have  lived  to  see  the  ideal  Iphigenia/  To  the 
few  Germans  in  the  audience,  these  evidences  of 
generous  and  enlightened  recognition  of  what 
is  German  in  the  best  and  highest  sense  must 
have  been,  as  they  were  to  me,  ample  compensa- 
tion for  the  trials  and  heart-burnings  inevitably- 
associated  with  the  separation  from  the  friends 
of  one's  youth.  Mr.  Conried,  on  his  part,  may 
rest  satisfied  that  he  has  chosen  the  right  way 
to  bring  Germans  and  Americans  closer  to  each 
other."  * 

On  the  anniversary  of  Lessing's  birthday, 
January  22,  1901,  Mr.  Conried  gave  "Minna 
von  Barnhelm,"  under  the  auspices  of  the  Har- 
vard Deutscher  Verein,  and  for  the  benefit  of  the 
Germanic  Museum.  How  much  of  a  benefit  this 
was  can  be  seen  by  examining  the  various  articles 
and  reports  written  by  Professor  Francke.  The 
Museum  was  formally  opened  on  November  10, 
1903,  with  addresses  by  the  German  Emperor's 
personal  representative,  by  President  Eliot, 
Hon.  Carl  Schin-z,  and  Professors  Francke  and 
James.      In    the    evening,    the    Irving    Place 

*  The  play  was  likewise  given  at  Yale,  Columbia,  and  Penn- 
sylvania. A  special  Harvard  edition,  in  artistic  book  form,  was 
issued. 


134  THE    LIFE    OF    HEINRICH    CONEIED 

Theatre  Company  presented,  at  Sanders  Thea- 
tre, three  short  plays,  illustrating  the  various 
phases  of  German  drama,  from  the  sixteenth 
century  to  the  present  time.  These  pieces 
were  Hans  Sach's  "Der  fahrende  Schuler  im 
Paradies,"  Goethe's  "Die  Geschwister,"  and 
Fulda's  "Unter  vier  Augen." 

According  to  the  1904-05  report,  Mr.  Con- 
ried  turned  over  to  the  Museum  authorities  the 
sum  of  $675  *  as  the  proceeds  of  his  year's 
production,  and  among  the  subscribers  for  the 
following  season  I  find  his  name  entered  for 
a  $500  contribution  to  the  Endowment  Fimd. 
Mr.  Conried  was  an  honorary  Vice-President 
of  the  Association  to  the  time  of  his  death. 
The  last  report  to  mention  his  name  spoke  of 
him  as  a  man  of  rare  unselfishness  and  gen- 
erosity.! 

During  all  this  while,  Mr.  Conried  never 
lectured  at  Harvard;  he  let  his  company  speak 
for  him.  In  consequence  of  his  services,  the 
Deutscher  Verein,  in  October,  1901,  notified  him 
of  his  election  to  honorary  membership,  in  high 

*  It  will  be  remembered  that  the  late  Charles  Frohman,  dur- 
ing the  season  of  1908,  presented  Maude  Adams  in  a  badly  garbled 
version  of  Schiller's  "Jungfrau  von  Orleans,"  for  the  benefit  of 
the  Museum.  The  jierformance,  on  a  gigantic  scale,  was  given  in 
the  Harvard  Stadium,  and  netted  the  Museum  nearly  $10,000. 

■f  Professor  Kuno  Frnncke  has  Avritten  an  account  of  the  Ger- 
manic Museum  for  the  Harvard  Graduate  Magazine,  11:360. 


THE   LIFE   OF    HEINRICH    CONRIED  135 

recognition  of  his  activity  in  furthering  the 
German  spirit  in  Harvard.  His  badge  and 
ribbon  were  sent  to  him  in  due  course.  In 
1905,  there  was  considerable  correspondence  be- 
tween Mr.  Conried,  President  Eliot  and  his 
secretary,  regarding  the  Herr  Director's  attend- 
ance at  Commencement  exercises,  when  it  was 
hoped  that  the  degree  of  Master  of  Arts  would 
be  conferred  upon  him.  But  at  the  very  last 
moment  Mr.  Conried  was  suddenly  called  away 
to  Europe,  and  the  honor  was  never  bestowed. 

I  am  indebted  to  Mr.  Alfred  K.  Merritt,  the 
registrar  of  Yale  University,  for  the  follow- 
ing accurate  information: 

Mr.  Conried  brought  his  German  company 
from  the  Irving  Place  Theatre  to  New  Haven 
six  successive  years,  from  1901  to  1906.  The 
plays  he  gave,  and  the  dates  are  as  follows: 

Lessing's  "Minna  von  Barnhelm": 
Wednesday,  March  6,   1901. 

Goethe's  "Iphigenie  auf  Tauris": 
Monday,  March  17,   1902. 

Freytag's  "Die  Journalisten" : 
Wednesday,  March  11,  1903. 

Fulda's    " Jugendfreunde" : 
Wednesday,  March  16,   1904. 


136  THE    LIFE    OF    HEINEICII    CONRIED 

Schiller's    "Kabale    und    Liebe": 
Wednesday,  March  15,  1905. 

Fulda's  "Maskerade"; 

Wednesday,  March  7,  1906. 

Incidentallj^  Professor  W.  L.  Phelps  wrote 
a  poem  on  the  occasion  of  the  giving  of  the  play, 
on  March  15,  1905.  Professor  Gruener,  who 
was  the  chairman  of  the  committee  in  charge 
during  the  first  four  years,  and  Professor  Farr, 
who  succeeded  him,  kept  a  carefully  arranged 
scrap-book,  from  which  a  very  comprehensive 
idea  may  be  obtained  of  the  performances.  Mr. 
Conried  gave  these  plays  for  the  benefit  of  the 
German  Seminary  in  the  University,  and,  as  a 
result  of  his  generosity,  the  German  Depart- 
ment was  able  to  establish  a  very  excellent  Ger- 
man library.  The  income,  for  examjDle,  from 
the  first  play,  that  of  1901,  benefited  the  Semi- 
nary to  the  extent  of  over  $970.* 

These  productions  were  always  looked  for- 
ward to  with  a  great  measure  of  curiosity,  and 
with  great  intellectual  expectancy.  In  the  Yale 
Alumni  Weeldy,  for  1905,  Professor  Phelps' 
extended  review  of  "Kabale  und  Liebe"  in- 
dicates that  it  was  hardly  received  with  favor, 
though  he  realized  that  with  all  its  exaggeration 

*  According  to  the  Yale  Alumni  Weekly,  the  first  three  years 
netted  $2,200. 


THE   LIFE  OF    HEINRICII    CONRIED  137 

it  "gives  us  one  of  the  most  sublime  spectacles 
in  the  world — the  revolt  of  the  heart  against  the 
tyranny  of  convention." 

But  naturally,  the  chief  emphasis  to  be  laid 
upon  the  University  performances  was  the  op- 
portunity offered  by  Mr.  Conried  for  the  stu- 
dent of  German  to  hear  something  in  German, 
by  actors,  and  in  a  style  governed  by  German 
tradition.  This  student  attitude  is  excellently 
denoted  in  an  editorial  in  the  Yale  News,  for 
March  16,  1904: 

"Mr.  Heinrich  Conried  will  present  his  fourth 
gratuitous  play  at  the  Hyperion  to-night.  The 
production  is  a  characteristic  German  perform- 
ance which  one  might  see  at  the  present  time 
anj^vhere  in  Germany.  The  Irving  Place 
Theatre,  in  New  York,  at  least  in  so  far  as  Mr. 
Conried's  management  of  it  is  concerned,  and 
his  company,  are  also  typically  German.  His 
company  does  no  touring,  but  remains  in  New 
York,  giving  a  great  variety  of  productions 
during  the  season.  This  is  consistent  with  the 
attitude  toward  the  stage  held  by  the  Ger- 
mans, who  regard  it  much  more  from  an  educa- 
tional point  of  view  than  Americans  do.  Un- 
like the  latter,  they  have  no  so-called  'stars'  in 
their  casts,  all  the  actors  being  practically  on 
the  same  plane. 


138  THE    LIFE    OF    HEINRICH    CONRIED 

"There  are  several  unique  methods  pursued 
in  the  stage  management,  which  are  peculiar  to 
the  Germans.  For  example,  the  stage  floor  is 
plotted  off  into  squares,  in  one  of  which  each 
actor  has  a  definite  assigned  position  at  all  times. 
A  box  is  built  up  just  in  front  of  the  foot- 
lights, with  the  sides  toward  the  stage  open. 
In  this  box,  hidden  from  the  audience,  the 
prompter  stays  during  the  performance.  From 
this  he  reads  the  entire  play  aloud  to  the  actors, 
so  that  the  latter  do  not  have  to  commit  their 
lines  to  memorj^  but,  being  familiar  with  them, 
they  can  repeat  their  parts  after  the  prompter 
without  difficulty.  It  is  only  by  constant  prac- 
tice that  the  actors  are  able  to  avoid  the  stiff- 
ness and  formality  which  naturally  result  from 
this  lack  of  spontaneity  in  the  German  methods. 

"Aside  from  amusement,  there  is  consider- 
able real  profit  to  be  obtained  from  to-night's 
play,  both  for  those  interested  in  the  drama  and 
for  those  studying  German,  to  whom  it  offers 
an  excellent  chance  to  hear  the  language  spoken. 
This  is  especially  important,  because  perhaps 
the  greatest  fault  in  the  Yale  method  of  teach- 
ing a  modern  language  is  the  lack  of  opportunity 
for  advanced  students  to  practise  speaking  and 
conversing  in  that  language." 

The  Irving  Place  Theatre  being  so  accessible 


THE   LIFE   or    HEINRICH    CONRIED  139 

for  the  students  of  Columbia  University,  the 
necessity  for  special  performances  at  that  in- 
stitution was  not  so  urgent.  At  all  times,  Mr. 
Conried  allowed  special  rates  to  college  men, 
and  once,  on  January  10,  1902,  true  to  his  pur- 
pose of  lending  aid  to  any  organization  devoted 
to  the  furtherance  of  German  culture,  he  turned 
over  the  proceeds  of  a  performance  of  "Kabale 
und  Liebe"  to  the  Columbia  Deutscher  Verein — 
amounting  to  over  three  hundred  dollars — for 
the  purchase  of  books.  The  several  hundred 
volumes,  each  bearing  a  bookplate  commemora- 
ting the  gift,  have  since  been  turned  over  to  the 
Collegiate  German  Study.  But  Columbia,* 
more  than  any  other  university,  profited  by 
having  Mr.  Conried  as  a  lecturer,  and  we  find 
him  delivering  the  following: 

March  22,  1898:     "Die  Biihne." 

March  21,  1899 :    "Die  Kunst  des  Sprechens." 

*  The  Registrar  of  Columbia  University  states  in  his  letter  to 
me  that  Mr.  Conried  had  the  degree  of  Master  of  Arts,  honoris 
causa,  conferred  on  him  by  Yale  University.  Mr.  Conried  also 
lectured  at  Teachers  College,  on  "The  Stage  as  an  Educational 
Eactor,"  as  well  as  before  the  Round  Table,  at  the  Horace  Mann 
School.  His  son,  Richard,  having  been  a  pupil  at  the  Horace  Mann, 
as  well  as  a  student  at  Columbia,  Mr.  Conried's  name  figured  on 
many  programmes  as  a  patron  of  amateur  theatrical  performances. 
I  find  in  the  Columbia  University  Quarterly  for  September,  1905, 
an  article  by  Professor  Rudolph  Tombo,  Jr.,  descriptive  of  the 
Schiller  Centenary,  held  on  May  9,  1905,  at  which  Mr.  Conried  re- 
cited. Mr.  Conried  was  a  frequent  visitor  at  the  Verein.  For 
scant  reports  on  the  lectures,  see  the  Columbia  Spectator,  and  the 
current  newspapers  on  the  day  after. 


140  THE    LIFE    OF    HEINRICH    CONRIED 

February  28,  1901:  "Das  moderne  deutsche 
Drama." 

February  26,  1902:  "Das  deutsche  Theater 
in  New  York." 

January  14,  1903:  "Die  Errichtung  eines  na- 
tionalen  Theaters." 

Dr.  Marion  D.  Learned,  Professor  of  the 
Germanic  Languages  and  Literatures  of  the 
University  of  Pennsylvania,  wrote  me  in  terms 
of  very  strong  appreciation.     He  said: 

"Director  Conried's  services  to  the  Univer- 
sity of  Pennsylvania,  and  to  the  Germanic 
Department  in  particular,  were  of  very  great 
significance.  In  the  late  nineties — about  1897 
— ^when  we  were  planning  to  publish  our  re- 
searches in  a  rather  elaborate  form,  we  insti- 
tuted what  we  called  a  German- American  pub- 
lication fund,  and  asked  Director  Conried  to 
speak  to  us  on  the  occasion  of  the  dinner.  With 
his  keen  insight  into  every  situation,  at  the 
close  of  the  dinner  he  arose  and  volunteered 
the  services  of  his  company  at  the  Irving  Place 
Theatre  for  a  number  of  performances,  under 
the  auspices  of  the  University  of  Pennsylvania, 
during  the  following  season.  This  was  the 
first  outside  contribution  to  our  publication 
fund.     The  following  season  Director  Conried 


THE   LIFE   OF    HEINRICH    CONRIED  141 

sent  his  troupe  from  New  York,  and  allowed 
it  to  play  gratis  for  us,  in  the  Academy  of 
Music,  Lessing's  'Minna  von  Barnhelm.'  .  .  . 
It  was  a  great  artistic  and  financial  success." 

The  productions  followed,  as  they  did  at 
Yale,  from  year  to  year,  the  last  being  Fulda's 
"^laskerade,"  when  the  author  himself  occupied 
a  box. 

"It  was  as  a  slight  recognition  of  these  many 
services  and  the  constant  readiness  of  Director 
Conried  to  aid  our  cause,  that  the  University 
conferred  upon  him  the  honorary  degree  of 
Master  of  Arts.  At  the  same  time,"  contin- 
ued Professor  Learned,  "I  published  an  ac- 
count of  his  early  work  in  our  interests.  .  .  . 

"It  is  a  source  of  great  satisfaction  to  me  to 
know  that  the  very  active  and  useful  life  of 
Director  Conried  is  to  be  put  into  permanent 
literary  form,  and  to  be  made  accessible  to  the 
public.  It  is  difficult  to  give  an  adequate  esti- 
mate of  the  service  which  Heinrich  Conried 
rendered,  not  only  to  the  German  Theatre  and 
Opera  on  the  American  stage,  but  also  in  the 
direction  of  stimulating  a  general  and  intelli- 
gent interest  among  the  youth  of  the  land  for 
good  drama  and  for  the  high  significance  of 
drama  as  a  factor  in  national  education. 

"My   own   personal   relations   with   Director 


142  THE   LIFE   OF   HEINRICH   CONRIED 

Conried  were  most  pleasant,  and  I  was  his 
guest  more  than  once  at  his  playhouse.  His 
breadth  of  view  and  his  far-reaching  artistic 
interest  put  him  easily  in  the  forefront  of 
American  histrionic  art." 

Mr.  Conried's  degree  was  bestowed  upon  him 
the  same  day  that  honors  were  being  bestowed 
on  Mr.  Taft.  Unfortunately,  the  Herr  Di- 
rector was  obliged  to  leave  before  the  cere- 
monies were  over,  so  Mr.  Taft  offered  to  change 
seats  with  him,  taking  the  front  position,  thus 
letting  Conried  sit  behind  him.  "I  think  I  can 
cover  your  retreat,"  said  the  future  President! 
On  Mr.  Taft's  election,  Conried  sent  him  a  con- 
gratulatory telegram.  At  heart  he  was  a  Re- 
publican, though  most  of  the  time  he  forgot 
to  register. 

When  the  honorary  degree  was  conferred 
upon  him,  February  22,  1902,  the  then  Provost 
of  the  University,  Dr.  Harrison,  acted  in  behalf 
of  the  Board  of  Trustees,  while  Mr.  Conried, 
in  the  regulation  cap  and  gown,  was  presented 
by  the  late  Dr.  Horace  Howard  Furness,  the 
Shakespearian  scholar,  who  said  in  his  intro- 
ductory : 

"We  have  invited  to  be  here  present  on  this 
occasion  Heinrich  Conried. 

"Because,  through  many  weary  years  he  has 


HEIXRICH    CONRIED,    M.  A.  (Penn.) 


THE   LIFE  OF   HEINRICH    CONRIED  143 

never  allowed  the  indifference  or  hostility  of 
others  to  weaken  his  faith  in  the  refining,  ele- 
vating, purifying  influence  of  the  drama,  when 
only  what  is  noblest,  purest  and  best  therein  is 
presented  on  the  stage;  and  to  this  end  he  has 
kept  bravely  and  unflinchingly  before  him  an 
exalted  standard  of  excellence  in  every  depart- 
ment pertaining  to  the  theatre.  He  has  lived 
to  see  his  faith  justifled,  his  self-sacrifice  appre- 
ciated, and  to  find 

'Stubborn  thistles  bursting 
Into  glossy  purples,  which  out-redden 
All  voluptuous  garden-roses.' 

"Therefore,  we  present  him  to  the  Provost 
that  he  may  receive  the  Academic  Degree  of 
Master  of  Arts." 

The  University  of  Pennsylvania*  was  the 
first  educational  institution  to  benefit  by  per- 
formances  of  this  kind,   for,   on   December   5, 

1899,  "Minna  von  Barnhelm"  was  presented 
in  Philadelphia,  representative  of  the  classical 
period  of  German  drama;  and,  on  March  21, 

1900,  Fulda's  "Jugendfreunde"  was  given,  as 

*  Mr.  Conried  lectured  at  the  University  on  "Die  Deutsche 
Buhne."  For  an  account  of  the  "Conried  Plays  and  the  German 
Publication  Fund  of  America,"  reprinted  in  pamphlet  form  by 
Dr.  Learned,  see  the  University  of  Pennsylvania  Bulletin,  April, 
1900. 


144  THE   LIFE   OF   HEINKICH    CONEIED 

example  of  the  contemporaneous  nineteenth 
century  German  drama.* 

Mr.  Conried's  services  were  regarded  by  the 
University  of  Pennsylvania  as  of  unique  value; 
the  review  of  them  ends  in  this  manner: 

"The  effect  of  these  plays  upon  the  Univer- 
sity and  the  English-speaking  people  of  Phila- 
delphia is  manifest  in  the  new  interest  in  Ger- 
man drama,  and  these  artistic  performances  by 
Mr.  Conried's  company,  of  the  best  German 
drama,  furnish  a  timely  illustration  for  the 
work  of  the  German  Seminary,  which  has  de- 
voted the  entire  year  to  the  'History  of  the 
German  Drama.'  Any  revival  of  interest  grow- 
ing therefrom  must  owe  much  to  the  efforts 
of  the  Manager  of  the  Irving  Place  Theatre 
of  New  York. 

"The  importance  of  such  artistic  dramatic 
performances  as  an  agency  in  academic  educa- 
tion has  never  been  duly  recognized  by  our 
American  colleges  and  universities;  and  this 
new  stimulus  which  Mr.  Conried  has  given  to 
the  student  ...  is  likely  to  bear  fruit  in  a 
more  intelligent  attention  to  the  academic  study 
of  the  drama  and  the  stage  in  America." 

*  For  the  better  understanding  of  the  English  public,  the  Uni- 
versity issued  a  translation  of  the  Fulda  play:  "Friends  of  Youth," 
by  Martin  Schutze,  Ph.D.,  Philadelphia,  1900. 


THE   LIFE   OF    HEINRICH    CONRIED  145 

Mr.  Conried  likewise  went  to  Cornell  Uni- 
versity as  the  guest  of  Professor  W.  T.  Hewitt, 
and  delivered  his  lecture  on  "The  German 
Stage,"  due  very  largely  to  friendship  with 
]Miss  Ottilie  Herholz,  who  was  head  of  the 
German  Department  at  the  time.  He  also  lec- 
tured at  Vassar  in  February,  1901,  on  "The 
Difficulties  of  Presenting  Plays  on  the  Stage," 
and  in  February,  1903,  on  "The  Modern 
Drama."  The  Secretary  of  the  College  states 
she  is  of  the  impression  that  some  of  the  Vas- 
sar students  made  a  trip  to  New  York  at  the 
invitation  of  Mr.  Conried  to  visit  his  theatre. 
Lectures  are  also  known  to  have  been  deliv- 
ered before  the  Stern  School  of  Languages, 
and  at  the  College  of  the  City  of  New  York. 

In  the  history  of  the  stage  in  America,  this 
activity  on  the  part  of  Mr.  Conried  is  unique; 
his  talent,  his  artistry  won  him  distinction  from 
the  cultivated  classes  in  New  York;  they  like- 
wise brought  him  recognition  from  those  outside 
of  New  York.  In  his  indefatigableness  as  a 
worker,  he  approached  Augustin  Daly;  but  he 
stands  alone  in  the  support  he  received  from 
the  intelligent  classes  throughout  the  United 
States. 

It  is  a  curious  and  a  deplorable  fact  that  the 
theatre  in  America  is  almost  entirely  divorced 


146  THE   LIFE   OF    HEINRICH    CONEIED 

from  the  intellectual  life  of  the  people.  In 
England  we  find  literary  men  and  men  of  the 
theatre  exchanging  ideas  and  deeply  concerned 
about  each  other's  work.  In  America  the  thea- 
tre does  not  demand  the  taste  and  refinement, 
even  the  ordinary  education,  required  in  the 
other  arts,  and,  on  a  first  night,  American  men 
of  letters  are  only  rarely  seen  in  the  theatre. 
As  I  have  said,  Mr.  Conried  had  the  advantage 
of  imposing  upon  the  Irving  Place  Theatre  the 
traditions  of  a  repertory  company,  and  he  had 
literary  drama  upon  which  to  draw.  He  also 
depended  for  his  actors  upon  foreigners  who 
were  brought  up  in  a  tradition  which  made 
Berlin  one  of  the  foremost  theatre  centres  of 
the  world.  But,  granting  all  this,  Mr.  Conried 
had  within  him  that  which  was  willing  to  take 
cognizance  of  mentality  in  a  community;  he  also 
had  an  innate  ambition  to  excel  along  serious 
lines.  We  cannot  take  away  from  the  credit 
of  the  man  by  saying  that  Conried  was  what 
he  was,  as  a  manager,  because  he  was  trained 
in  a  school  which  forced  him  to  be  other  than 
himself.  It  may  have  been  the  custom  for  the 
theatres  abroad  to  give  dramatic  festivals,  but  it 
was  not  necessary  for  Mr.  Conried  to  persist 
in  those  festivals,  when  he  knew  very  well  how 
much  more  he  could  make,   commercially,   by 


THE   LIFE  OF    HEINRICH    CONRIED  14(7 

giving  the  Germans  in  New  York  what  they 
really  wanted — inferior  German  farce. 

And  this  continued  interest  on  his  part  in 
the  serious  side  of  his  work  made  him  continue 
at  all  costs  his  Tuesday  evenings,  devoted  to 
classical  productions.  He  was  a  student  of  the 
German  Theatre,  and  it  was  his  ambition  to  have 
others  students  also.  He  never  failed  to  com- 
memorate anniversaries.  When,  in  1905,  Rich- 
ard Mansfield  produced  Schiller's  "Don  Car- 
los," Conried  arranged  a  revival  of  the  play 
at  the  Irving  Place,  with  as  much  desire  to 
offer  in  contrast  two  interpretations,  as  to  cele- 
brate the  centenary  of  the  poet's  death.  When 
Fulda  visited  America  and  lectured,  Conried's 
pride  was  sincere,  however  much  papers  hinted 
that  it  was  good  business  to  exploit  the  drama- 
tist for  the  sake  of  his  plays.  No  one  can  deny 
him  theatrical  intelligence  of  the  highest  order. 

Within  recent  years  the  theatre  in  America 
has  been  able  to  show  no  ambition  more  com- 
mendable than  Mr.  Conried's.  Now  and  again 
Richard  Mansfield  used  to  lecture  before  the 
colleges,  and  even  now,  whenever  William  Ar- 
cher and  Henry  Arthur  Jones  visit  America, 
they  are  invited  to  talk  before  learned  bodies 
on  subjects  imminently  close  to  the  theatre. 
But  in  no  playhouse  is  there  that  sense  of  taste 


148  THE   LIFE    OF    HEINRICH    CONRIED 

and  high-mindedness  which  used  to  be  seen  at 
the  Irving  Place,  unless  we  except  Winthrop 
Ames'  Little  Theatre,  and  his  attempts  in  the 
New  Theatre — a  failure  which  was  physically 
weakened  by  the  unwise  architectural  planning 
of  Mr.  Conried  himself.  I  regard  Conried  as 
a  pioneer  in  that  intelligent  attitude  toward  the 
theatre  which  has  since  then  manifested  itself 
in  several  quarters.  What  the  Yale  Dramatic 
Society  has  accomplished  since  its  establishment, 
in  the  way  of  serious  drama,  is  what  Mr.  Con- 
ried hoped  to  do  with  his  collegiate  perform- 
ances: to  bring  the  student  body  in  touch  with 
the  best  in  dramatic  literature.  What  Professor 
Brander  Matthews  accomplished  during  the 
final  period  of  the  New  Theatre's  existence, 
when  he  gave  lectures  on  the  different  periods 
in  English  drama,  illustrated  by  scenes  from  the 
plays  done  by  the  New  Theatre  company  in 
the  manner  of  the  time,  Mr.  Conried  hoped  to 
accomplish  by  his  Saturday  morning  lectures 
at  the  Irving  Place. 

His  contributions  of  money  for  the  establish- 
ment of  special  collections  of  books,  and  for  the 
extension  of  museums,  suggest  those  possibili- 
ties which  others  are  only  slowly  following. 
When  an  actor  to-day  is  asked  to  go  to  Berke- 
ley,   California,    for   a   special   performance    in 


THE   LIFE   OF    HEINRICH    CONRIED  149 

the  Greek  Theatre,  he  has  to  consider  the 
financial  outlay.  Yet  Conried  used  to  do  the 
same  serious  work  without  a  Greek  Theatre, 
shouldering  the  expense  himself.  And  in  the 
public  Press  he  was  accused  of  coveting  the 
prestige  of  college  patronage,  and  of  striving 
by  his  graiide  largesse  to  win  over  the  English- 
speaking  public  for  his  theatre. 

This  counter-criticism  did  not  take  away  from 
the  credit  which  was  his.  Those  who  were 
watching  him  in  Germany  began  to  regard  him 
as  an  authority  on  educational  matters  in  the 
United  States,  inasmuch  as  he  was  in  such 
close  touch  with  the  schools  and  colleges.  It 
is  not  surprising,  therefore,  to  find  the  Em- 
press of  Germany  "commanding"  Herr  Conried 
to  prepare  for  her  a  short  account  of  education 
for  girls  in  the  United  States.  The  data  fur- 
nished Her  ^lajesty  was  compiled  through 
personal  investigation,  and  was  sent  to  her  in 
printed  form. 

It  would  seem  only  natural  that,  from  the 
time  Mr.  Conried  gave  thoughts  to  opera  man- 
agement, his  activity  at  the  Irving  Place  should 
materially  decrease;  but  this  was  not  to  be  the 
case  for  several  years  after  his  appointment 
as  Impresario.  During  the  season  of  1901-02, 
he  made  great  preparations   for  the  reception 


150  THE   LIFE   OF   HEINRICH    CONEIED 

of  Prince  Henry  of  Prussia,  and  everything 
was  properly  arranged  for  a  gala  performance 
of  "Im  weissen  Ross'l"  on  the  evening  of  Feb- 
ruary 22,  1902.  The  specially  engrossed  invi- 
tations and  the  programmes  printed  on  white 
satin  are  only  two  of  the  small  details  which 
Mr.  Conried  attended  to,  in  order  to  make  the 
occasion  a  distinctive  one.  But  when  the  eve- 
ning arrived,  the  Prince  was  forced  to  go  to 
Washington  on  official  business,  and  so  the  real 
"gala"  night  was  reserved  for  just  before  he 
sailed  back  to  Germany.  The  consequence  was 
that,  though  the  evening  was  kept  gala,  there 
was  no  Prince,  and  there  was  no  "At  the  White 
Horse  Tavern,"  inasmuch  as  the  performance 
was  changed  to  "A  Blank  Page."  In  the  royal 
box  sat  the  officers  of  the  royal  yacht  HoTien- 
zollern,  which  had  arrived  ahead  of  time,  the 
German  Ambassador,  and  the  Consul-General; 
while  in  the  audience  were  Mayor  Low,  Colonel 
Bingham,  James  A.  Hill  (representing  Presi- 
dent Roosevelt),  Rear- Admiral  Evans,  and 
General  Corbin. 

It  was  during  this  evening  that  Mr.  Conried 
went  on  the  stage  and  addressed  his  audience. 
He  told  them  that  those  who  did  not  wish  to 
remain  might  have  their  money  refunded,  while 
those  that  did  stay  might  consider  themselves 


THE   LIFE  OF   HEINRICH    CONRIED  151 

his  guests.  Then,  looking  about  him,  with  half 
a  twinkle,  but  likewise  with  some  bitterness  in 
his  tone  of  voice,  he  said:  "How  good  it  is  to  see 
you  all  dressed  so  gaily — in  your  evening  gowns 
and  dress-suits!  Ordinarily,  our  German  au- 
diences are  dowdy  and  ill-dressed.  A  husband 
is  asked  by  his  wife  to  go  with  her  to  the  thea- 
tre. *I*m  too  tired  to  dress,'  he  exclaims.  'But 
I  mean  the  German  Theatre,'  she  explains. 
*Ah,  that's  another  matter.  Sure,  I'll  go  just 
as  I  am,'  he  says,  with  a  sigh  of  relief." 

When  the  Prince  did  eventually  reach  New 
York  and  was  entertained  by  Mr.  Conried,  in 
token  of  his  esteem  he  presented  the  manager 
with  a  handsome  gold  cigarette-case,  carrying 
the  Princely  arms. 

At  last  the  performance  of  "At  the  White 
Horse  Tavern"  was  given,  the  Prince  particu- 
larly wanting  to  see  that  comedy,  inasmuch  as 
he  had  missed  it  in  Germany.  After  the  play, 
he  was  taken  behind  the  scenes,  and  Mr.  Con- 
ried offered  him  a  cigar,  but  his  Highness  re- 
fused, pointing  to  a  sign  which  forbade  smok- 
ing. "If  you'll  break  your  own  rules  first," 
he  said  jovially,  "I'll  follow  your  lead,  but  not 
before."  And  so  the  Director  had  to  lead  the 
way.  An  interchange  of  courtesies  followed 
this  gala  night  at  the  Irving  Place   Theatre, 


152  THE   LIFE   OF   HEINRICH    CONRIED 

and  Mr.  Conried  was  invited  aboard  the  royal 
yacht,  where  he  received  formal  thanks  for  what 
he  had  done.  He  and  the  Prince  had  become 
great  friends,  the  Herr  Director  attending  all 
private  and  official  functions. 

The  following  month,  on  March  26th  and 
29th,  Mr.  Conried  gave  evidence  of  his  further 
artistic  ambition  by  scheduling  a  production 
of  "Faust,"  including  Parts  One  and  Two. 

ISTo  sooner  had  the  following  season  been 
fairly  launched  than,  out  of  courtesy  to  the 
actors  and  actresses  in  IVew  York,  the  Herr 
Director  gave  a  special  matinee  (November 
24,  1902),  with  a  programme  which  included  the 
first  act  of  Bjornson's  "Beyond  Human  Pow- 
er," the  fifth  act  of  "The  Night  of  St.  Bartholo- 
mew," in  which  he  played  King  Charles,  and 
the  second  act  of  "Alt  Heidelberg."  The  latter 
was,  as  we  have  said,  one  of  the  few  plays 
which  forced  the  manager's  hand,  and  made 
him  succumb  to  the  prevalent  theatrical  custom 
of  "long  runs"  in  the  theatre. 

After  the  first  presentation  of  von  Moser's 
"The  Bureaucrat,"  and  after  Benno  Jacobson's 
"The  Trick,"  from  which  the  English  farce 
"Never  Again"  was  taken,  Ferdinand  Bonn 
occupied  the  stage  of  the  Irving  Place  Theatre, 
with  his  brawny,  blond  and  sentimental  Ham- 


THE   LIFE  OF   HEINRICH    CONRIED  153 

let.  The  performance  was  heavy  and  melodra- 
matic, with  poor  scenery.  This  was  quickly 
followed  by  Philippi's  "The  Great  Light,"  and 
a  series  of  plays  already  mentioned,  wherein 
Bonn  made  a  better  impression  than  his  reper- 
tory. The  season  closed  with  the  appearance 
of  the  Forenczj^  Opera  Company,  an  organiza- 
tion which  came  to  New  York  for  the  first 
time. 

American  theatregoers  who,  during  the  sea- 
son of  1902-3,  had  had  an  opportunity  of  wit- 
nessing Mrs.  Patrick  Campbell's  "The  Joy  of 
Living,"  were  again  offered  an  outlet  for  com- 
parison with  Camilla  Dalberg's  interpretation 
at  the  Irving  Place,  of  the  role  of  Beata,  on 
October  1,  1903.  On  December  17,  1903,  Mr. 
Conried  forestalled  the  American  managers 
with  a  production  of  Maeterlinck's  "Monna 
Vanna,"  over  which  there  had  been  such  a 
furor  in  England  when  the  Censor  refused  to 
license  it  for  the  English  stage.  As  an  indica- 
tion of  how  completely  engrossed  was  Mr.  Con- 
ried with  the  German  stage,  to  the  exclusion 
of  any  other,  it  is  interesting  to  note  that  he 
thought  "Monna  Vanna"  was  the  product  of  a 
German  playwright.  The  following  letter  gives 
a  bit  of  interesting  stage  history  which  it  is  well 
to  record: 


154  THE   LIFE   OF    HEINRICH    CONRIED 

Capri,  Schweizerhof, 
August  11,  1902. 
Esteemed  Director: 

Director  Hofmann  was  very  kind  to  write 
you  so  cordially  about  me  and  my  work,  and  he 
has  himself  taken  the  piece  for  production  in 
Cologne. 

There  appears  to  be  some  error  on  your  part. 
For  "Monna  Vanna"  is  not  my  piece,  but  the 
newest  drama  of  Maurice  Maeterlinck,  the 
French-Flemish  poet,  who  is  already  well  known 
in  America,  and  who  lives  somewhere  in  your 
neighborhood,  in  GiTichet- Saint- Simeon,  near 
Luneray,  Seine  Inferieure,  France. 

I  am  sending  you  a  copy  of  the  French  orig- 
inal by  second-class  mail.  You  will  see  from 
the  notices  that  it  had  its  successful  opening 
night  on  May  17th  of  this  year,  at  the  Nouveau 
Theatre,  in  Paris,  and  is  already  protected  in 
America.  I  myself  only  have  the  right  of 
translation  and  production  in  German,  and  must 
pay  the  author  half  of  my  profits.  I  have  al- 
ready disposed  of  the  rights  to  ten  theatres, 
among  them  the  Vienna,  Hofburg,  Berlin 
Deutsches,  the  Cologne,  Hamburg,  and  Munich 
playhouses,  etc.  It  will  please  me  if  you  will 
join  this  list. 

Financially    as    my    share    I    receive    every- 


THE   LIFE  OF   HEINRICH    CONRIEI)  155 

where  .  .  .  ten  per  cent,  of  the  receipts.  I 
will,  however,  be  willing  to  meet  you  in  every 
way,  and  will  give  you  the  exclusive  rights  of 
staging  "Monna  Vanna"  at  the  Irving  Place 
Theatre  for  eight  per  cent,  of  the  receipts,  and 
I  hoj)e  after  your  return  to  America  for  a 
prompt  remittance  of  a  contract.  .  .  . 

The  stage  rights  for  England  and  America 
(in  the  English  language)  M.  Maurice  Maeter- 
linck alone  can  dispose  of;  as  far  as  I  know, 
this  was  arranged  a  long  time  ago;  the  piece 
has  already  been  given  in  London,  and  a  sharp 
argument  has  arisen  over  it,  as  reported  in  all 
the  English  and  American  papers  [see  the  New 
York  Evening  Post  of  July  17th].  The  Eng- 
lish translator  is  Maeterlinck's  friend,  Alfred 
Sutro. 

Unfortunately,  I  cannot  now  send  you  a 
German  copy,  as  the  play  is  in  proof;  but  I 
hope  by  the  end  of  August  to  send  a  copy  to 
your  theatre  in  New  York,  so  that  you  can 
have  it  by  the  first  of  September.  The  stage 
copy  has  been  finished  by  me  in  collaboration 
with  Herr  Director  Dr.  Schlenther,  of  the  Hof- 
burg  Theater;  this  will  give  you  sufficient  guar- 
antee that  the  German  text  is  coincident  [or 
exact]  with  the  French.  As  a  book,  "Monna 
Vanna"  will  not  appear  in  German  until  Janu- 


156  THE   LIFE   OF    HEINRICH    CONRIED 

ary  1.     At  present  I  have  only  had  one  hun- 
dred stage  copies  printed.  .  .  . 

Most  respectfully, 
Friedrich  von  Oppeln  Bronikowski. 

Mr.  Conried  associated  himself  with  the 
[Metropolitan  Opera  House  in  February,  1903, 
after  which  he  may  be  regarded  as  a  manager 
with  divided  interests.  But,  as  I  have  said,  he 
still  maintained  a  firm  grip  on  the  affairs  of  the 
Irving  Place  Theatre.  When  he  returned  from 
Europe,  during  the  summer  of  1903,  and  there- 
after for  several  seasons,  it  was  through  him 
that  the  German  Press  received  the  yearly 
plans;  and  during  his  trips  abroad  his  atten- 
tion was  largely  concerned  witli  attractions  and 
"stars"  for  his  playhouse.  During  1904-05,  Frl. 
Agathe  Barsescu  was  the  guest  at  the  German 
Theatre,  appearing  in  Grillparzer's  "Medea," 
Sudermann's  "Heimat,"  and  Grillparzer's  "Sap- 
pho," among  other  pieces. 

About  the  same  time,  Herr  Harry  Walden 
appeared  in  Fulda's  version  of  Bostand's  "Les 
Romanesques,"  and  Gorki's  "Nachtasyl."  Mr. 
Conried  had  to  meet  the  many  questions  put  him 
in  the  German  Press  as  to  the  future  manage- 
ment of  the  Irving  Place  Theatre,  as  well  as 
attend  to  a  suit  instigated  against  him  by  Gus- 
tav  V.  Seyffertitz,  who  claimed  the  bulk  of  very 


THE   LIFE  OF   HEINRICH   CONRIED  157 

large  profits  made  at  his  own  benefit.  Toward 
the  end  of  the  season,  Ferdinand  Bonn  and 
Rudolph  Christians  accepted  "guesting"  engage- 
ments, and  they  appeared  together  in  Kadel- 
burg's  "Der  Familientag."  A  gala  occasion 
was  that  when  the  patrons  of  the  Irving  Place 
Theatre  were  given  a  "star"  performance  of 
"Don  Carlos,"  with  Frl.  Barsescu  as  Princess 
Eholi,  Herr  Bonn  as  King  Philipp,  Herr  Wal- 
den  as  Carlos,  and  Herr  Christians  as  the  Mar- 
quis Posa.  The  next  evening,  Herr  Bonn  ap- 
peared in  "Wallenstein,"  supported  by  Barsescu 
and  Christians.  Then  followed  Christians  in 
"Die  beruhmte  Frau."  And  finally  Frl.  Bar- 
sescu appeared  in  the  title  role  of  "Maria 
Stuart." 

This  serves  as  an  excellent  illustration  of  the 
manner  in  which  the  casts  were  varied  at  the 
Irving  Place,  so  as  to  give  the  actor  scope  and 
variety.  And  in  no  way  was  there  any  abate- 
ment of  this  policy,  even  in  minor  casts.  There 
was  no  audience  in  New  York  City  to  com- 
pare, in  intellectual  willingness,  with  the  Ger- 
mans, who,  week  after  week,  were  served  with 
strong  diet  by  Manager  Conried;  no  audience 
so  willing  to  support  the  classics  as  they.  The 
announcement  of  "Maria  Stuart,"  of  Goethe's 
"Iphigenie  auf  Tauris,"  of  an  entire  "Schiller- 


158  THE   LIFE   OF    HEINRICH    CONRIED 

woche,"  was  of  common  occurrence.  We  note 
morning  matinees,  beginning  at  ten  o'clock  for 
the  benefit  of  German  students.  For  the  final 
week  of  the  season,  we  are  offered  Sardou's 
"Fedora,"  as  a  benefit  for  Frl.  Barsescu;  "Ka- 
bale  und  Liebe";  Sudermann's  "Das  Gliick  im 
Winkel,"  for  Otto  Ottbert's  benefit;  "Bock- 
spriinge,"  for  the  benefit  of  Frau  Neuendorff; 
"Heimat";  and  finally  "Das  Stiftungsfest." 

This  season  of  1904-05  is  representative  of  the 
season  that  followed.  During  1905-06,  Lina 
Abarbanell  joined  Mr.  Conried's  artists,  and  he 
extracted  the  promise  of  a  visit  from  Ludwig 
Fulda.  The  Impresario-Manager's  interests 
were  likewise  involved  in  the  establishment  of  a 
National  Theatre,  which  shall  receive  our  later 
consideration.  Operetta  was  mingled  with 
drama,  and  Mr.  Conried  had  a  controversy  in 
court  with  Commissioner  Bingham  regarding 
the  concerts  given  at  the  Irving  Place  on  Sun- 
day evenings,  in  violation  of  the  New  York  Sun- 
day law.  Fulda's  arrival  in  February,  1906, 
lent  added  interest  to  his  new  piece,  "Masker- 
ade,"  and  the  German  author  was  feted  every- 
where. Herr  Fulda's  appreciation  of  Conried 
may  be  seen  from  the  following  letter  to  Mr. 
Richard  Conried,  dated  from  Berlin,  May  10, 
1913: 


THE   LIFE   OF    HEINRICH    CONRIEl)  159 

Dear  Mr.  Conried: 

I  comply  with  your  desire,  for  I  retain  a  true 
and  grateful  memory  of  your  father.  The 
reception  he  gave  me  during  my  visit  to  New 
York  in  1906  was  as  warm  and  pleasant  as 
could  be,  and  I  was  thoroughly  convinced  at 
that  time  how  great  were  his  services  in  the 
support  of  German  dramatic  art.  Under  his 
direction  I  saw  two  of  my  pieces  in  excellent 
production,  and  later  on  had  sufficient  reason 
to  deplore  the  loss  here  of  his  skilful  and  ener- 
getic hand,  as  well  as  his  fiery  spirit,  now  lost 
to  the  German  theatre. 

In  personal  intercourse  with  him,  especially 
during  our  voyage  together  to  Europe,  right 
after  the  San  Francisco  earthquake,  which  had 
hurt  him  so  much,  I  learned  to  know  him  as 
a  warm-hearted  man,  enthusiastic  over  every- 
thing beautiful,  and  to  appreciate  his  stimu- 
lating companionship.  And  I  was  convinced 
that  they  did  not  know  him  who  regarded  him 
only  as  a  thoroughly  unscrupulous  business 
man.  I  consider  it  a  great  loss  that  he  could 
not  execute  his  last  favorite  idea  of  giving 
the  Americans  a  National  Theatre.  He  would 
have  been  destined,  as  no  other  man,  to  bring 
this  difficult  undertaking  to  a  successful  issue, 
and  to  create  in  America  an  artistic  stage  such 


160  THE    LIFE    OF    HEINRICH    CONRIED 

as  does  not  now  exist.  It  was  this  great  plan 
which  kept  him  busy  during  our  intercourse, 
and  I  shall  never  forget  the  many  hours  we 
spent  together,  while  he  explained  the  details  of 
his  undertaking  to  me.  May  you  succeed  in 
placing  in  his  portrait  which  you  purpose  to 
have  made  of  him  the  good  which  he  has  done 
for  America  and  Germany,  and  may  it  be 
brought  forth  in  the  right  light. 
With  best  wishes,  I  am, 
Yours  respectfully, 

LUDWIG  FULDA. 

Although  Mr.  Conried's  actual  tenure  of 
office,  as  Director  of  the  Irving  Place,  did  not 
expire  until  April,  1907,  it  is  very  evident  that 
his  time  was  more  deeply  engrossed  with  Metro- 
politan Opera  affairs  than  with  his  theatre, 
altliough  his  associates  kept  him  thoroughly 
informed  as  to  every  detail.  He  conducted  his 
work  with  thoroughness. 

"Oh,  yes,  he  was  very  strict,"  said  Mr.  von 
Seyffertitz  in  reminiscence.  "My  God,  how 
actors  hated  him  and  loved  him!  He  had  a 
sweet  nature  and  was  very  emotional.  He  was 
way  above  any  German  manager  we  ever  had 
in  New  York,  as  far  as  gentlemanly  qualities 


THE   LIFE   OF    HEINRICH    CONRIED  161 

and  artistic  ideals  were  concerned.  He  was  a 
great  disciplinarian  and  an  exceptional  stage- 
manager.  He  had  ideas,  and  was  not  slavishly 
held  by  rules,  like  most  of  our  managers.  He 
really  had  marked  originality. 

"From  the  time  I  came  over  with  Sorma, 
and  made  my  first  appearance  in  'Konigskinder,' 
I  had  an  opportunity  of  watching  Mr.  Conried 
closely,  and,  though  he  had  his  faults,  though 
he  was  inclined  to  be  close-fisted  with  his  actors, 
he  had  his  excellencies,  God  bless  him!  He 
possessed  the  genius  for  surrounding  himself 
with  those  who  could  best  serve  him.  He  had 
a  charming  personality,  and  could  always  make 
you  feel  it  when  he  wanted  to.  But  he  could 
treat  people  as  mere  nothings  in  the  scheme 
of  things,  if  they  did  not  serve  him,  and  he 
happened  at  the  moment  not  to  be  in  the  best 
of  humor.  Though  he  might  receive  benefits 
from  others,  he  never  stooped  for  them. 

"He  was  a  good  son,  a  wonderful  husband, 
a  genial  host,  and  a  keen  Director,  with  a 
dramatic  instinct  which  was  excellently  de- 
veloped. But  in  the  theatre  there  was  no 
god  above  Conried.  I  had  cause  to  realize  this 
while  I  was  jDlaced  in  nominal  charge  of  the 
Irving  Place  Theatre.  Sometimes  he  quite 
took  our  breath  away  by  his  consideration;  he 


162  THE   LIFE   OF   HEINRICH    CONRIED 

was  often  up  to  fun,  as  when  he  gave  us  a 
Christmas  tree  in  true  German  fashion,  and  had 
a  present  for  every  actor  in  his  company. 

"The  splendid  thing  about  him,"  claimed  Mrs. 
Nahan  Francko  (Miss  Braga),  "was  that,  when 
he  encouraged  you,  you  believed  in  him  ex- 
plicitly." 

"But  in  many  directions,  Mr.  Conried  had 
no  control  over  himself,"  Mr.  von  Seyffertitz 
said.  "For  instance,  food  meant  much  to  him. 
At  a  dinner  he  would  declare  that  he  could 
not  touch  a  certain  dish,  because  the  doctor  had 
prohibited  it,  and  then  the  next  second  he  would 
fill  himself  up  with  some  Austrian  dish  just 
as  pernicious  to  the  digestion.  He  was  a  great 
man  for  signing  contracts,  and  was  most  clever 
in  his  arrangements.  But  at  the  Metropolitan 
Opera  House,  he  allowed  business  affairs  often 
to  assume  dangerous  proportions. 

"Personally,  I  have  never  believed  in  a  Ger- 
man Theatre  for  New  York.  Why  should  there 
be  such  an  institution  in  America,  except  for 
the  sake  of  sentiment?  As  far  as  that  goes,  it 
is  fine,  but  otherwise  it  is  a  hopeless  proposition. 
Mr.  Conried  had  the  ability  to  withstand  any 
prejudice   against  his   theatre. 

"As  an  actor,  he  had  exceptional  ability,  but 
I  remember  that  whenever  he  acted  he  was  sea- 


THE   LIFE  OF    HEINRICH    CONRIED  163 

sick ;  he  was  unable  to  check  his  nervousness  and 
excitement." 

"He  was  all  fire  and  flame,"  writes  Mrs. 
Francko,  "after  which  there  was  always  a  drop 
— a  dreadful  reaction." 

"I  had  been  associated  with  ^Ir.  Conried  for 
some  time  previous  to  my  engagement  at  the 
Irving  Place  Theatre,"  said  Mr.  Adolph  Link, 
in  conversation,  "and  had  met  him  in  Vienna, 
when  he  had  long  hair  a  la  Lewinsky.  I  was 
with  him  on  the  Bowery  when  our  biggest  hit 
was  'The  Merry  War,'  and  when  I  created  the 
role  of  the  waiter  in  'Divor9ons,'  inventing  all 
the  conventional  stage  business  now  held  as 
tradition.  Then  I  left  him,  and  went  over  to 
Amberg;  but  even  then  I  had  to  admit  the 
cleverness  of  Conried  as  a  Director. 

"When  I  returned  to  him,  in  1893,  I  found 
him  even  more  autocratic  than  ever,  but  always 
diplomatic  in  the  handling  of  his  actors.  He 
never  used  a  book  at  rehearsal,  for  he  usually 
knew  the  entire  play  by  heart.  In  1894,  he 
began  to  be  sociable  in  his  home,  246  West 
39th  Street,  where  young  Conried  was  born. 
He  had  open  house,  always  serving  five-o'clock 
tea;  on  this  occasion  a  few  of  the  actors  woidd 
entertain  his  guests  with  small  bits  from  their 
parts.     I  remember  he  used  to  go  about  in  a 


164  THE   LIFE   OF   HEINRICH    CONRIED 

carriage  with  rubber  wheels,  and  he  always 
had  a  fine  pair  of  horses. 

"Not  many  of  Conried's  actors  really  Knew 
him;  they  did  not  have  the  opportunity,  for, 
after  success  came  to  the  Director,  he  suddenly 
grew  too  big  to  notice  them!  When  on  the 
stage,  he  always  tried  to  be  friendly,  but  a  few 
minutes  after,  when  you  passed  him  in  the  hall, 
he  would  go  by  without  even  a  friendly  head- 
shake;  he  never  seemed  to  have  time  to  speak 
sociably  to  his  actors. 

"Mr.  Conried  belonged  to  the  Deutsche 
Biihnenverein,  a  society  formed  in  Berlin  for 
the  protection  of  the  theatre  managers.  The 
latter  often  advanced  money  to  actors  who  never 
turned  up  to  fill  their  engagements.  I  have 
been  told  that  Mr.  Conried's  books  are  filled 
with  debts  of  this  character.  Heinrich  Conried 
prosecuted  many  an  actor  in  foreign  courts; 
and  this  was  another  reason  why  the  profession 
did  not  like  him.  Then  his  agents  had  a  griev- 
ance against  him  because  they  found  him  too 
astute  to  engage  'dead  wood.'  And  it  was  partly 
because  of  this  that  actors  much  preferred  to 
deal  directly  with  Conried  than  through  such 
agents  as  Ledner,  Tiinzer,  Levy,  Felix  and 
Bloch. 

"How  often,   at  the   Philosopher's   Table   at 


THE   LIFE   OF    HEINRICH    CONRIED  1G5 

Flelschmann's,  have  I  seen  him  dominate  the 
occasion,  and  then  go  out  into  the  street  and 
fail  to  bow  to  some  passing  friend.  On  meet- 
ing him  the  next  time,  Conried  would  say,  'You 
must  really  excuse  me,  but  I  had  philosophy 
on  the  brain.'  People  thought  that  Conried 
purposely  cut  them,  but  he  did  not;  he  was  in 
the  habit  of  passing  his  own  son  without  recog- 
nition. How  particular  he  was  behind  his  stage ! 
All  hands,  all  actors,  were  obliged  to  keep  their 
hats  off,  and  if  a  stranger  by  any  chance  was 
found  where  he  shouldn't  be,  he  was  uncere- 
moniously hustled  off.  Conried  made  his  own 
law:  'Who  has  nothing  to  do  on  the  stage, 
should  not  be  on  the  stage,'  was  one  of  his  ad- 
ages. He  had  set  hours  for  everything,  and  an 
electric  button  attached  to  his  desk  in  his  of- 
fice summoned  the  actors  to  him  when  he  wanted 
them.  I  do  not  believe  we  ever  gave  a  slovenly 
performance  at  the  Irving  Place  Theatre,  and 
the  high  excellence  of  the  productions  was  large- 
ly, if  not  wholly,  due  to  the  workmanship  of 
Mr.  Conried." 

These  few  impressions  from  members  of  his 
company  add  a  little  more  to  the  portrait  of 
Conried  as  a  theatrical  manager.  But  there  is 
still  one  more  phase  which  we  must  consider 
before    we    pass    to    the    INIetropolitan    Opera 


1C6  THE   LIFE   OF    HEINRICH    CONRIED 

House.  A  few  business  details  will  be  typical 
of  Conried  as  something  other  than  the  artistic 
director.  His  problem  was  more  complicated 
than  that  of  the  ordinary  theatrical  manager, 
for  his  actors  came  from  Germany,  and  their 
contracts  called  for  transportation  back  and 
forth.  He  was  the  first  manager  to  consider 
the  rights  of  German  authors,  and  to  protect 
them,  as  far  as  possible,  despite  the  weakness 
of  American  copyright  law.  Bundles  and  bun- 
dles of  contracts  are  in  my  possession,  and  they 
throw  light  upon  the  activity  of  the  manager 
when  he  went  abroad — the  wide  range  of  his 
interests, — for  it  must  be  remembered  that  never, 
during  his  lifetime,  did  he  relinquish  his  powers 
as  agent  for  foreign  authors  and  composers. 
So  that,  when  the  time  came  for  him  to  go 
abroad  in  the  interests  of  the  Metropolitan 
Opera  House,  he  was  well  trained  in  the  mat- 
ter of  artists  and  dealings  with  them. 

In  April  of  the  year  1901,  Mr.  Conried  found 
himself  involved  in  a  lawsuit  with  the  music 
firm  of  Witmark,  of  New  York  City,  the  com- 
plication arising  from  the  claim  on  both  sides 
that  they  were  the  licensed  agents  for  johann 
Strauss,  who  composed  the  numberless  well- 
known  German  operas  made  famous  in  Europe, 
and  exploited  in  this  country  by  Mr.   Conried 


THE   LIFE  OF    HEINRICH    CONRIED  167 

himself.  According  to  the  latter's  affidavit,  on 
the  15th  of  January,  1884,  he  entered  into 
agreement  of  sale  for  a  valuable  consideration, 
wherein  the  composer  sold  to  Mr.  Conried  all 
of  his  work,  written  and  composed  by  him  per- 
sonally, or  in  collaboration  with  other  people. 
It  was  claimed  by  Mr.  Conried  that  M.  Wit- 
mark  &  Sons,  without  his  consent,  had  assumed 
ownership  of  the  said  operas,  which  included 
such  valuable  pieces  of  property  as  "A  Night  in 
Venice,"  "The  Bat"  (translation  of  "Die  Fle- 
dermaus"),  "Gypsy  Baron,"  "The  Queen's  Lace 
Handkerchief,"  "The  Merry  War,"  "Simpli- 
cius"  and  "Indigo."  In  other  words,  the  whole 
case  hinged  on  the  moral  rights  to  these  operas, 
as  exercised  by  the  terms  of  the  original  un- 
derstanding between  Conried  and  Herr  Strauss 
himself.  After  a  very  searching  examination 
into  the  matter,  the  case  went  against  Mr.  Con- 
ried, although  it  was  pretty  evident  to  those 
who  followed  the  points  that  there  was  a  thor- 
ough understanding  of  Mr.  Conried's  legiti- 
mate control  of  the  rights  to  these  operas  in 
America. 

Complications  likewise  ensued  in  the  matter 
of  the  operas  by  Karl  Milloecker,  wherein  the 
Witmark  agency  again  claimed  that  they  were 
the  sole  representatives  of  the  widow  of  the 
author  of  "The  Beggar  Student." 


168  THE    LIFE    or    HEINRICPI    CONRIED 

As  early  as  April  23,  1898,  there  was  every 
indication  that  Mr.  Conried  intended  to  trans- 
fer his  Irving  Place  Theatre  to  a  point  more 
centrally  located  in  the  theatrical  district  of 
New  York  City.  A  site  was  actually  selected, 
at  the  corner  of  Broadway,  Forty-seventh  Street 
and  Seventh  Avenue,  and  an  architect,  Mr.  E. 
Yancey  Cohen,  was  engaged  to  draw  up  plans 
for  the  building,  which  was  to  be  modeled  after 
the  Imperial  Opera  House  in  Vienna.  This 
was  the  first  suggestion  that  the  New  York 
theatregoers  had  of  Mr.  Conried's  strong  desire 
to  establish  in  the  city  a  theatre  supported  by 
a  definite  subscription  audience.  Plans  and 
specifications  were  again  offered  to  Mr.  Con- 
ried by  a  building  company  of  New  York,  in 
December,  1902,  for  a  twelve-story,  fire-proof 
building,  to  be  used  for  hotel  and  theatre  pur- 
poses, on  the  west  side  of  Madison  Avenue,  be- 
tween Fifty-eighth  and  Fifty-ninth  Streets,  the 
approximate  cost  of  the  building  to  be  $1,- 
100,000.  Actual  negotiations  were  entered  into 
for  the  purchase  of  the  property.  But,  as  events 
turned  out,  the  Irving  Place  Theatre  was  des- 
tined to  remain  on  its  old  site  as  long  as  Mr. 
Conried  directed  its  well-being. 

Mr.  Conried,  in  the  spring  of  1903,  was  again 
brought  into  the  courts,  the  widow  of  composer 


THE   LIFE  OF    HEINRICII    CONRIED  169 

Strauss  again  claiming  that  he  had  no  rights 
to  the  operas  or  oj)erettas  composed  by  her  hus- 
band. This  case  had  extended  over  a  number 
of  years  in  the  courts,  and  had  involved  the 
Witmark  dispute.  In  Austria,  on  December 
11,  1900,  in  the  Imperial  and  Royal  Landesge- 
richt,  at  Bruenn,  the  case  was  tried  and  decided 
in  favor  of  Frau  Strauss.  It  was  judged  that 
JMr.  Conried  had  acquired  no  rights  of  owner- 
ship, but  only  the  rights  to  produce  in  German 
and  English  in  the  United  States,  Canada,  Eng- 
land, and  Australia,  these  rights  to  expire  on 
March  15,  1899  The  second  step  was  Mr. 
Conried's  appeal  of  the  case  to  the  Imperial 
and  Royal  Ober-Landesgericht,  on  March  26, 
1902.  The  decision  again  went  against  JMr. 
Conried,  who  was  obliged  to  pay  the  costs. 
The  final  step  in  the  dispute  was  another  ap- 
peal that  Mr.  Conried  made  before  the  Supreme 
Tribunal  of  the  Austrian  Empire  in  Civil 
Causes.  A  decision  was  rendered  against  him 
again  on  June  17,  1902,  and  this  was  consid- 
ered final.  Mr.  Conried's  hands  were  tied  in 
perpetual  restraint. 

We  have  thus  traced  in  detail  JMr.  Conried's 
influence  at  the  Irving  Place  Theatre,  because 
in  many  Avays  it  served  its  inestimable  purpose, 
and  with  the  recent  advent  of  Herr  Emanuel 


170  THE    LIFE    OF    HEINRICH    CONRIED 

Reicher  to  America,  coming  with  the  hope  of 
improving  American  taste  and  estabhshing  what 
he  hked  to  call  a  "People's  Theatre,"  we  have 
to  hark  back  to  the  very  excellent  regime  Herr 
Conried  maintained  during  the  entire  period 
he  was  director  of  his  German  house.  The 
American  English-speaking  public  were  unable 
to  witness  "The  Weavers"  in  translation  until 
1915,  but  those  who  attended  Mr.  Conried's 
performance  might  boast  of  his  production  of 
the  same  play  ten  years  before.  So,  in  like 
manner  it  would  be  possible  for  us  to  show 
how  advanced  Mr.  Conried's  repertory  theatre 
was  over  and  above  that  of  the  American  play- 
houses, and  how  abreast  of  the  times  it  was  in 
the  advanced  thought  governing  most  of  the 
distinctive  playhouses  of  Europe, 


CHAPTER  V 

Directorate  of  the  Metropolitan  Opera  House:  Mr. 
Conried's  appointment.  The  new  organization.  An 
Impresario's  salary.  The  singers  under  his  direction. 
The  Impresario's  busy  life,  as  exemplified  in  Mr.  Con- 
ried's correspondence;  and  his  direct  dealings  with  his 
"stars."  The  discovery  of  Caruso.  The  jealousies  of 
divas.  Preparations  for  a  new  season.  Orders  from 
an  Impresario.  Contracts  with  "stars."  Expenses. 
Caruso  as  a  concert  asset.    The  Pace  that  Kills. 

HEINRICH  CONRIED'S  reputation 
went  far  beyond  the  circle  of  his  im- 
mediate patronage,  and,  when  the  time 
came  for  any  large  honors  to  be  bestowed  upon 
any  particular  manager,  his  name  was  always 
to  the  fore  in  consideration  for  possible  ad- 
vancement in  the  service  of  the  English-speak- 
ing public,  as  well  as  the  German-speaking 
public.  Plis  fame  was  so  generally  recognized 
that  the  attention  of  the  directors  of  the  Metro- 
politan Opera  and  Real  Estate  Company  was 
drawn  to  him.  When,  in  the  spring  of  1903, 
Mr.  Maurice  Grau  announced  his  intention  of 
retiring  from  the  directorship  of  the  house, 
Mr.  Conried  was  put  forward  as  a  candidate 

171 


172  THE    LIFE    OF    HEINRICH    CONRIED 

for  the  vacant  place.  With  his  usual  indepen- 
dent attitude,  when  the  subject  was  broached 
to  him,  he  personally  refused  to  become  an 
applicant  for  the  managership,  although  there 
is  no  doubt  that  in  his  heart  of  hearts  he  rel- 
ished the  possible  opportunity  of  struggling 
with  such  a  big  artistic  proposition  as  this.  It 
was  only  after  he  was  assured  of  the  unanimous 
support  of  the  Metropolitan  Directors  that  he 
consented  to  have  his  name  put  up  for  consid- 
eration. 

There  were  many  people  who  shook  their 
heads  with  some  misgivings,  for  it  is  one  thing 
to  appoint  a  man  of  Conried's  experience  as 
the  head  of  a  theatre,  and  it  is  another  thing  to 
make  the  rather  unusual  suggestion  that  the 
next  Director  of  the  Metropolitan  Opera  House 
should  be  a  man  with  no  operatic  experience  to 
speak  of,  and  with  little,  or  no,  distinctive- musi- 
cal taste.  Nevertheless,  Conried  often  exhib- 
ited a  natural  ear  for  music.  As  illustration  of 
this,  it  is  told  of  him  how,  on  one  occasion,  the 
leader  of  an  orchestra  played  the  famous  Strauss 
march  like  a  funeral  dirge,  and  Conried  called 
out  for  him  to  put  more  spirit  in  it — to  play  it 
like  a  march.  But  the  leader  opposed  him;  it 
was  not  as  the  "Master"  would  have  it,  said  the 
leader.     Conried,  however,  had  his  way.     Some 


THE   LIFE   OF    IIEINRICII    CONRIED  173 

time  after,  while  talking  with  Strauss,  Conried 
mentioned  the  incident,  and  asked  the  composer 
if  he  was  not  right.  "I  applaud  you,"  said  the 
Maestro;  "you  are  the  first  one  to  catch  my 
idea!" 

When  Conried's  ardent  supporters  heard  the 
many  doubts  expressed  as  to  his  fitness,  they 
pointed  to  his  interest  in  musical  affairs  from 
time  to  time  in  the  past,  and  emphasized  the 
fact  that  he  had  managed  successfully  the 
American  tour  of  Bronislaw  Hubermann,  the 
violinist,  and  was  instrumental  in  bringing  to 
this  country  Ernest  Von  Schuch,  conductor  of 
the  Dresden  Opera  House. 

The  papers  were  full  of  speculation  in  regard 
to  the  candidates  who  were  suggested  in  com- 
petition with  Mr.  Conried.  There  were  Walter 
Damrosch,  Henry  Russell,  C.  E.  Ellis,  and 
George  Ellis.  ^lany  preliminary  details  were 
entered  into  between  the  Metropolitan  Opera 
and  Real  Estate  Company  and  the  regisseur 
of  the  Irving  Place  Theatre.  On  February  14, 
the  Directors  decided,  by  a  vote  of  seven  to  six, 
to  instruct  the  Executive  Committee  to  nego- 
tiate with  Mr.  Conried,  and  on  February  15, 
1903,  it  was  announced  by  the  Metropolitan 
Opera  and  Real  Estate  Company  that  the  lease 
of  the  Opera  House  had  been  given  to  Heinrich 


174  THE    LIFE    OF    HEINRICH    CONRIED 

Conried  for  five  years.*  At  the  beginning, 
Herr  Conried's  financial  supporter  was  Mr. 
Henry  Morgenthau,  later  strengthened  by  the 
support  of  Messrs.  James  H.  Hyde  and  Jacob 
H.  Schiff.  The  latter  was  invited  to  join  the 
Directorate,  but  he  was  at  the  time  so  pressed 
with  other  work  that  he  was  obliged  to  decline, 
requesting  however  that  a  member  of  his  firm, 
Mr.  Otto  Kahn,  be  accepted  in  his  stead — a 
suggestion  to  which  Mr.  Conried  readily  agreed. 

The  Conried  Opera  Company  was  organized, 
and  acquired  all  of  the  rights  of  the  Maurice 
Grau  Opera  Company.  According  to  the  Mu- 
sical Courier  of  March  4,  1903,  the  new  organ- 
ization was  incorporated  at  Albany,  with  a  cap- 
ital stock  of  $150,000,  the  Directors  being  James 
H.  Hyde,  Otto  H.  Kahn,  Henry  Morganthau, 
Eliot  Gregory,  Henry  Rogers  Winthrop,  Will- 
iam H.  Mclntyre,  Heinrich  Conried,  J.  Henry 
Smith,  Clarence  H.  Mackay,  and  George  J. 
Gould.  Alfred  Vanderbilt  and  Robert  Goelet 
were  likewise  included,  although  they  soon  re- 
tired.! 

A  contract  of  agreement  was  drawn  up  be- 
tween Mr.  Conried  and  the  Conried  Metropol- 

*  See  Harper's  Magazine  for  1883:  an  early  description  of 
the  Metropolitan  Opera  House.  Also  an  article  on  Opera,  by 
W.  J.  Henderson,  in  Review  of  Reviews,  December,  1904'. 

t  See  the  New  York  Herald,  February  15,  1903. 


THE   LIFE   OF    HEINRICH    CONRIED  175 

itan  Opera  House,  fixing  the  tenure  of  his  office 
from  the  1st  of  June,  1903,  to  the  31st  of 
May,  1908.  Mr.  Conried  agreed  to  manage 
and  supervise  everything  connected  with  the 
operation  and  administration  of  affairs  relating 
to  the  opera,  subject  to  the  approval  of  the 
Executive  Committee,  or  the  Board  of  Direc- 
tors, including  the  engaging  and  dismissing  of 
all  artists  and  employees,  for  a  period  of  five 
years.  In  consideration  for  his  services,  he 
was  to  receive  a  salary  of  $20,000  a  year,  it 
being  understood  that,  in  addition  to  his  salary, 
he  was  to  receive  the  sum  of  $150  for  each 
week  while  he  was  actually  travelling  in  Europe 
in  connection  with  the  business  of  the  Metro- 
j)olitan  Opera  House.  It  was  also  agreed  that, 
as  additional  compensation  for  his  services,  one- 
half  of  the  profits  for  each  and  every  year,  dur- 
ing the  continuance  of  his  tenure  of  office,  was 
to  be  paid  him,  after  all  expenses  were  met, 
together  with  six  per  cent,  dividends  upon  all 
the  common  stock  outstanding  and  issued  and 
sold  for  actual  cash  at  par  at  the  time  of  such 
payment.  This,  in  the  main,  covered  the  points 
which  affected  Mr.  Conried's  salary  as  head  of 
the  Opera  House. 

Mr.  Grau  sold  the  assets  of  his  company  to 
the  succeeding  one,  these  properties   including 


176  THE    LIFE    OF    HEINRICH    CONRIED 

contracts  with  various  singers  whom  Mr.  Grau 
had  engaged  for  the  next  season.  The  German 
conductor,  Alfred  Hertz,  was  retained  by  Mr. 
Conried.  To  the  old  organization,  the  new 
Director  added  Ackte,  Marion  Weed,  Frem- 
stad,  Edyth  Walker,  Geraldine  Farrar,  Alois 
Bergstaller,  Heinrich  Knote,  the  conductor — 
Mottl,  and,  most  important  of  all,  Enrico 
Caruso. 

The  matter  of  an  impresario's  salary  is  al- 
ways of  curious  interest  to  the  public,  and  there 
is  no  doubt  that  Mr.  Conried's  business  acute- 
ness  did  much  to  increase  the  actual  income 
which  his  contract  called  for.  Whether  accurate 
or  not,  it  is  enlightening  to  note  the  comments  of 
the  New  York  Evening  Sun,  as  late  as  April 
27,  1909,  when  it  was  pointed  out  that:  "The 
Impresario's  salary  of  $20,000,  and  Conried's 
annual  $10  benefit,  earning  $20,000  more,  footed 
up  $40,000  a  year,  or  $200,000  for  the  minimum 
earnings  of  Conried's  five  years  in  opera.  He 
and  his  bankers,  by  contract,  were  to  have  half 
of  all  the  Opera  Company's  profits  which,  in 
their  first  three  years,  probably  netted  him 
$150,000  additional,  it  was  said.  ...  As  the 
first  to  put  money  into  his  own  New  Theatre 
idea,  Conried  held,  with  Henry  Morganthau,  a 
claim  of  $100,000  in  that  now  completed  insti- 


THE   LIFE   OF    HEINRICH    CONKIED  177 

tution.  He  sold  to  W.  K.  Vanderbilt,  for 
$90,000,  his  interests  in  opera  contracts  that 
had  three  years  to  run." 

Few  positions  are  so  difficult  to  fill  to  the 
satisfaction  of  everybody  as  that  of  an  oper- 
atic manager.  He  must  defer  to  the  social 
element  among  his  patrons,  as  well  as  to  the 
music  lover.  He  must  deal  with  numbers  of 
singers  of  various  nationalities,  all  clamoring  for 
special  privileges,  as  we  shall  see  when  we  come 
to  specific  examples  of  the  difficulties  confront- 
ing Mr.  Conried.  He  scours  Europe  and  Amer- 
ica for  new  singers,  and  later,  perhaps,  discovers 
that  an  artist  who  is  popular  in  Paris,  London, 
or  the  cities  of  Germany,  may  be  an  utter  fail- 
ure in  New  York.  And  he  then  has  a  contract 
on  his  hands  which  represents  so  much  wasted 
money. 

He  must  arrange  his  repertory  so  as  not  to 
give  some  opera  too  often  on  the  same  day  of 
each  week.  He  must  afford  the  subscribers  an 
opportunity  to  hear  all  the  singers  in  various 
roles.  He  must  meet  the  assaults  of  all  his  ar- 
tists, demanding  advances  in  salary  each  year. 
He  is  continually  harassed  by  the  "sudden  in- 
disposition," by  the  petty  jealousies,  quarrels 
and  fierce  rivalries  of  ambitious  singers,  amply 
illustrated   in    correspondence    which    has    been 


178  THE    LIFE    OF   HEINRICH    CONRIED 

preserved  of  Mr.  Conried's  regime  at  the  Metro- 
politan Opera  House,  and  which  only  through 
his  very  vigorous  handling  was  he  able  to  cope 
with  adequately.  He  is  continually  upset  by 
ultimata  delivered  at  the  eleventh  hour  by  highly 
temperamental  artists. 

Conried  used  to  say,  with  considerable  grim- 
ness  of  humor,  that  operatic  management  was  a 
very  much  less  difficult  and  complicated  affair 
in  the  good  old  times.  Then,  all  the  manager 
had  to  do  was  to  find  a  popular  Prima  Donna, 
and  the  problem  was  solved.  When  Catalani 
was  remonstrated  with  for  asking  so  large  a 
sum  that  it  became  impossible  to  engage  other 
artists  of  talent,  her  husband  cried,  "Talent! 
Have  you  not  Madame  Catalani!"  "But  my 
subscribers  insist  on  having  the  world's  great- 
est singers,"  declared  Conried,  "and  stage-man- 
agement, chorus  and  orchestra  must  be  equal 
to  those  of  Bayreuth  and  Munich.  The  best  is 
what  the  public  wants.  If  it  costs  more,  who 
cares?" 

Since  his  public  wanted  the  best,  Herr  Con- 
ried gave  it  to  them.  Under  his  management, 
the  Metropolitan  Opera  House  became  equal 
to  any  of  the  great  European  houses.  In  fact, 
in  matter  of  brilliancy  of  principals,  it  has  not 
been  surpassed  since  that  time.  To  him  the 
American  public  owes  the  introduction  of  five 


THE   LIFE  OF    HEINRICH    CONRIED  179 

of  the  most  eminent  of  living  singers.  Besides 
the  new  operas  produced  under  his  regime,  he, 
by  new  scenery,  costuming  and  expert  stage- 
management  in  all  its  details,  practically  re- 
created various  other  productions.  During  his 
entire  five  j^ears  of  management,  a  performance 
was  never  repeated  on  a  subscription  night,  and 
only  once  was  a  production  changed  after  its 
announcement.* 

Mr.  Conried  attacked  the  proposition  he  had 
in  hand  without  any  unnecessary  delay.  "I  will 
not  touch  the  management,"  he  said,  "unless 
you  give  me  a  decent  stage  to  work  with." 
The  Directors  were  much  impressed.  His  im- 
mediate official  action  was  an  order  for  the  re- 
decoration  of  the  house  in  red  and  gold,  his 
instinct  for  changes  even  in  these  matters  being 
rarely  found  at  fault. 

When  he  went  abroad  for  the  purpose  of  ar- 
ranging his  first  season,  he  had  fully  deter- 
mined to  break  through  the  traditions  of  Bay- 
reuth,  and  he  startled  the  American  people 
by  making  the  announcement  that  it  was  his 
intention  to  produce  "Parsifal,"  whether  or  not 
the  Wag-ner  family  gave  their  consent.  It  was 
this  determination  which  prompted  him  to  make 

*  "Metropolitan  Opera  House  of  New  York,"  by  H.  E.  Krehbiel, 
in  The  Musician,  February,  1907,  page  81, 


180  THE   LIFE    OF   HEINRICH    CONRIED 

certain  material  changes  in  the  technical  outfit 
of  the  Metropolitan  Opera  House,  enlarging 
the  stage,  and  putting  in  paraphernalia  which 
would  help  the  illusion  "Parsifal"  might  require. 
Mr.  Conried  introduced  a  system  of  counter- 
weights in  the  "flies,"  where  heretofore  men  had 
done  the  work  of  lifting  scenery.  There  is  no 
doubt  that  many  of  the  innovations  thus  in- 
stituted by  him  made  it  possible  for  further 
productions  of  a  stupendous  character  to  be 
carried  on. 

During  his  regime  he  liad,  as  his  business 
manager,  Mr.  Ernest  Goerlitz,  who,  through  the 
season  of  1903-04,  likewise  was  business  agent 
for  the  Irving  Place  Theatre.  Conried  pro- 
ceeded to  make  his  announcements  of  plans, 
and  it  was  always  his  custom  to  give  detailed 
statements  to  the  Press  when  he  returned  at 
the  end  of  every  European  trip.  During  the 
five  seasons  that  he  was  in  active  charge  of 
affairs  at  the  Metropolitan,  he  gave  for  1903- 
04,  twenty-seven  different  operas;  for  1904-05, 
thirty-tvv^o  different  operas;  for  1905-06,  thirty- 
two  different  operas;  for  1906-07,  twenty-eight 
different  operas;  for  1907-08,  thirty-one.  A 
comprehensive  survey  of  Mr.  Conreid's  tenure  of 
office,  none  too  sympathetic  and  often  grudging 
in  its  praise,  is  that  recorded  by  Mr.  Henry 


THE   LIFE  OF    HEINRICH    CONRIED  181 

Krehbiel,  in  his  "Chapters  of  Opera,"  wherein, 
after  claiming  that  Mr.  Grau  had  arranged  for 
the  appearance  of  Caruso,  Mottl  and  Frem- 
stad,  asserting  at  the  same  time  that  Grau  was 
holding  Miss  Farrar  in  reserve,  he  continues: 
"A  dozen  of  the  singers  who  were  continuouslj^ 
employed  througliout  the  Conried  period  had 
already  established  themselves  in  public  favor 
when  his  regime  opened.  They  were  INIme. 
Sembrich,  Mme.  Fames  (who  was  absent  dur- 
ing his  first  year),  Mme.  Homer,  and  Messrs. 
Burgstaller,  Dipj^el,  Reiss,  Miihlmann,  Scotti, 
Van  Rooy,  Bias,  Journet,  Plan9on,  and  Rossi. 
To  these  Mr.  Conried  associated  Caruso,  Marion 
Weed,  Olive  Fremstad,  Edyth  Walker,  Ernst 
Kraus  (the  tenor  who  had  been  a  member  of 
one  of  Mr.  Damrosch's  companies) ,  Fran  Naval, 
Giuseppe  Campanari,  Goritz,  and  a  few  people 
of  minor  importance.  Miss  Weed  and  Miss 
Fremstad  and  Messrs.  Caruso  and  Goritz  be- 
came fixtures  in  the  institution;  Miss  Walker 
remained  three  years;  Herr  Kraus  and  Herr 
Naval  only  one  season.  The  second  season  wit- 
nessed the  accession  of  Bella  Alten,  Mme. 
Senger-Bettaque  (who  dated  back  to  the  Ger- 
man regime),  Mme.  Fames  (returned),  Sig- 
nora  De  Macchi  (an  Italian  singer  whose  failure 
was  so  emphatic  that  her  activity  ended  almost 


182  THE    LIFE    OF    HEINRICH    CONRIED 

as  soon  as  it  began),  Mme.  Melba  (for  one 
season),  Mme.  Nordica  (for  two  seasons), 
Josephine  Jacoby  (for  the  rest  of  the  term), 
and  a  couple  more  inconsequential  fillers-in. 
The  third  year  brought  Signorina  Boninsegna 
(who  I  believe  had  a  single  appearance),  Lina 
Cavalieri  (who  endured  to  the  end),  Geraldine 
Farrar  (still  with  the  company  and  bearer  of 
high  hopes  on  the  part  of  opera  lovers  for  the 
future),  Bessie  Abott  (a  winsome  singer  of  ex- 
tremely light  calibre),  Marie  Mattfeld  (an  ac- 
quaintance of  the  Damrosch  days),  Mme.  Schu- 
mann-Heink  (returned  for  a  single  season), 
Marie  Rappold,  Mme.  Ivirkby-Lunn,  Carl  Bur- 
rian,  Soubeyran,  and  Rousseliere,  tenors;  Strac- 
ciari,  baritone,  and  Chalmin  and  Navarini,  bass- 
es. The  last  of  German  dramatic  sopranos  was 
augmented  in  the  last  year  by  Mme.  Morena  and 
Mme.  Leffler-Burkhardt,  the  tenors  by  Bonci 
(who  had  been  brought  to  America  the  year 
before  as  opposition  to  Caruso  by  Mr.  Ham- 
merstein),  Riccardo  Martin  (an  American), 
George  Lucas;  the  basses  by  Theodore  Chalia- 
pine,  a  Russian,  and  a  buffo,  Barocchi.  Among 
the  engagements  of  the  first  season  which  gave 
rise  to  high  hopes  in  serious  and  informed  circles 
was  that  of  Felix  Mottl,  as  conductor  of  the 
German    operas    and    Sunday    night    concerts 


THE   LIFE  OF   HEINRICH   CONRIED  183 

(which  it  was  announced  were  to  be  given  a 
symphonic  character  and  dignity),  Anton 
Fuchs,  of  Munich,  as  stage-manager,  and  Carl 
Lautenschlager,  of  the  Prinz  Regenten  Theater, 
Munich,  as  stage  mechanician,  or  technical  di- 
rector. These  two  men  did  notable  work  in 
'Parsifal,'  but  in  everything  else  found  them- 
selves so  hampered  by  the  prevailing  condi- 
tions that  after  a  year  they  retired  to  Ger- 
many, oppressed  with  a  feeling  something  akin 
to  humiliation.  Likewise,  Herr  Mottl,  who 
made  an  effort  in  the  line  of  symphony  con- 
certs on  the  first  Sunday  night  of  the  season, 
and  then  withdrew,  to  leave  the  field  open  to 
the  old-fashioned  popular  operatic  concert,  which 
Mr.  Conried  commanded  and  the  public  un- 
questionably desired.  His  experiences  in  put- 
ting half-prepared  operas  on  the  stage  also 
discouraged  Herr  Mottl,  and  he  went  through 
the  season  in  a  perfunctory  manner,  and  de- 
parted, shaking  the  Metropolitan  dust  from  his 
feet,  and  promptly  installed  his  polished  boots 
in  the  directorship  of  the  Royal  Court  Theater 
at  Munich." 

The  new  Impresario  succeeded  to  a  machine 
in  good  working  order;  he  likewise  succeeded, 
as  we  judge  by  Mr.  Krehbiel's  statement,  to 
agreements  with  artists  who  were  already  estab- 


184  THE    LIFE    OF    HEINRICH    CONRIED 

lished  as  popular  favorites.  And  the  public 
was  in  high  good  humor  in  regard  to  his  ap- 
pointment, inasmuch  as  Conried's  reputation 
for  perfect  staging  and  artistic  thoroughness 
had  been  well  justified  by  many  of  the  plays 
given  at  the  Irving  Place  Theatre.  He  entered 
upon  his  duties  as  Impresario  with  a  tremendous 
amount  of  vigor,  which  fully  justified  the  con- 
fidence in  him. 

The  first  season  compassed  fifteen  weeks, 
within  which  period  there  were  given  ninety- 
seven  performances  of  twenty-seven  operas. 
Conried's  policy  tended  to  reduce  the  French 
element  which  Grau  had  emphasized,  and  there 
is  little  doubt  that  this  change  on  his  part  was 
prompted  very  largely  by  his  desire  to  exploit 
Caruso,  the  force  of  his  season  being  largely 
expended  in  the  direction  of  Italian  opera. 
Influence  was  also  exerted  by  the  box-holders 
to  reduce  the  number  of  German  operas,  at 
least  during  the  subscription  season.  The  whole 
attitude  of  the  supporting  clientele  was  re- 
actionary and,  rightly  or  wronglj^  Mr.  Con- 
ried  yielded  in  their  favor  to  some  extent. 
Whatever  new  and  sensational  features  he 
wished  to  introduce  into  his  repertory  he  re- 
served for  special  performances  which  were 
not  subscription  ones. 


THE    LII-^E   OF    HEINRICII    COXRIED  185 

To  the  administration  of  his  work,  Mr.  Con- 
ried  brought  the  iron  hand  of  discipline  which 
he  had  exerted  so  persistently  at  the  Irving 
Place  Theatre,  and  which  resulted  in  a  suc- 
cessful policy,  however  much  it  may  have  like- 
wise resulted  in  his  being  disliked  by  many 
members  of  his  company.  His  aftitude  toward 
the  temperamental  opera  singers  was  equally  as 
stern,  and  resulted  in  many  curious  disputes, 
and  often  very   peremptory  correspondence. 

There  is  no  doubt  that  the  Impresario  *  lives 
a  pace  that  kills.  Few  men  have  the  constitu- 
tion to  survive  the  wear  and  tear  and  strain 
of  Grand  Opera  Management.  For,  not  only 
are  they  kept  at  a  tension  at  home,  but  in  the 
competitive  search  for  "stars,"  they  become 
the  scourge  of  Europe,  binding  the  great  sing- 
ers with  contracts  that  will  keep  them  away 
from  Continental  cities  during  the  operatic  sea- 
sons. Their  summers  are  spent  in  exciting 
journeys  from  town  to  town,  testing  voices,  and 
arranging  for  the  release  of  singers  connected 
with  the  Municipal  Opera  Houses  of  Germany 
or  elsewhere. 

There  is  little  rest  for  the  Impresario  from 
year  to  year.    His  ingenuity  is  eternally  taxed. 

*  Mr.  Conried  disliked  the  word  "Impresario,"  but  I  am  using  it 
as  the  only  term  fitted  to  contrast  with  "Director,"  used  during 
his  Irving  Place  days. 


186  THE   LIFE    OF   HEINRICH    CONRIED 

No  wonder,  therefore,  that  we  find  him  a  wreck 
at  the  time  of  his  retirement.  Maurice  Grau 
and  Heinrich  Conried  were  both  obliged  to  re- 
linquish their  executive  duties,  very  largely  be- 
cause their  constitutions  were  undermined  by 
the  work,  and  they  scarcely  survived  their  resig- 
nations a  twelve  month. 

Grand  Opera  is  supported  by  society.  It  is 
a  social  function  concentrated  in  a  diamond 
horseshoe  of  the  rich.  To  please  such  a  clien- 
tele, the  Impresario  has  to  gather  around  him 
the  best  in  the  way  of  music  that  the  world 
affords.  Under  Grau  and  Conried,  Grand 
Opera  became  an  assemblage  of  "stars,"  en- 
gaged at  an  enormous  cost.  This  resulted  in 
great  care  and  attention  being  bestowed  almost 
entirely  upon  the  excellencies  of  the  individual 
singer,  to  the  neglect  of  the  ensemble. 

Seated  in  his  office  at  the  Metropolitan  Opera 
House,  the  Impresario  has  a  network  of  com- 
munications spreading  everywhere  throughout 
the  building.  He  employs  alert  agents  abroad, 
who  are  on  the  lookout  for  members  of  the 
chorus.  The  contract  with  these  agents  usually 
designates  so  many  German  singers,  so  many 
French  singers,  and  so  many  Italians  needed 
for  the  season.  He  has  his  Press  Representa- 
tive, who  keeps  the  newspapers  informed  as  to 


THE    LIFE   OF    HEINRICII    CONRIED  187 

the  slightest  variation  in  operatic  temperature. 
And,  as  he  sits  at  his  desk,  he  has  to  be  ready 
at  a  moment's  notice  to  readjust  all  of  his  plans 
because  of  the  vagary  of  some  singer.  He  has 
to  hold  a  firm  hand  over  the  head  of  recalcitrant 
artists.  He  is  obliged  to  attend  rehearsals,  and 
to  listen  to  reports  from  the  enormous  artistic 
staff  that  looks  toward  him  for  instruction  or 
correction. 

They  are  all  clamoring  for  the  Impresario — - 
the  stage  carpenter,  costumers,  members  of  the 
corps  de  ballet,  the  chorus,  among  whom  the 
Impresario  often  has  to  wander  during  a  per- 
formance, the  technical  director,  and  the  prop- 
erty-master. His  hand  must  be  upon  the  pulse 
of  every  department;  he  must  know  what  the 
general  business-manager  and  his  assistants  are 
doing;  the  chief  electrician,  the  various  stage- 
managers,  the  chorus-master  and  the  ballet- 
master — all  have  their  woes  to  relate;  and 
there  are  the  varied  complications  that  arise 
from  exacting  musical  conductors. 

As  if  that  were  not  enough,  the  Impresario 
attends  the  long  and  tedious  rehearsals  day  in 
and  day  out,  sometimes  lasting  from  eleven  in 
the  morning  until  seven  in  the  evening.  "Oh," 
said  Mr.  Caruso,  "it  is  true  that  I  get  $2,000 


188  THE    LIFE    OF    HEINRICH    CONRIED 

a  performance,  but  think  of  the  rehearsals!  I 
have  to  work  for  my  money." 

Scarcely  has  the  season  closed,  than  the  Im- 
presario is  on  the  boat,  bound  for  the  other 
side.  He  has  already  set  in  motion  the  wheels 
for  the  next  season,  having  signed  contracts 
with  members  of  his  old  company.  And  now 
he  is  on  his  annual  hunt  for  novelties.  Oscar 
Hammerstein  was  the  first  American  Impresario 
of  modern  times  to  upset  traditions,  to  secure 
novelties  of  a  lighter  and  more  revolutionary 
order,  which  the  Metropolitan,  from  its  con- 
servative point  of  view,  would  never  have 
thought  of  offering.  Hammerstein  had  the 
faculty  of  finding  more  new  singers — not  al- 
ways of  first  rank — than  any  other  of  his  asso- 
ciates in  the  business  of  Grand  Opera,  and  it 
was  he  who  broke  up  the  opera  monopoly, 
making  it  possible  for  other  cities,  like  Boston, 
Philadelphia,  and  Chicago,  to  have  their  own 
opera  seasons,  without  being  dej^endent  upon 
the  generosity  of  the  Metropolitan. 

This  was  the  condition  when  Mr.  Hammer- 
stein opened  the  Manhattan  Opera  House  in 
competition  with  the  Grand  Opera  under  Mr. 
Conried's  direction.  When  the  latter  heard  of 
Hammerstein's  entrance  into  the  operatic  field, 


THE   LIFE  or    HEINRICH    CONRIED  189 

he  hastened  to  secure  exclusive  rights  to  all  of 
Puccini's  scores  for  America.  But,  as  events 
have  shown  since  that  time,  aggravated  largely 
by  conditions  of  war,  the  Philadelphia  and 
Boston  Opera  Houses  have  been  obliged  to 
close  their  doors,  and  even  the  Century  Opera 
Company,  with  the  desire  to  give  Grand  Opera 
in  English,  under  the  patronage  and  support 
of  many  of  the  Directors  of  the  Metropolitan 
Opera  House,  was  forced  to  abandon  the 
scheme,  because  of  the  fact  that  the  Metro- 
politan Opera  organization  has  a  monopoly 
from  which  there  is  no  escape. 

Though  the  Metropolitan  finally  bought 
Hammerstein  out,  they  did  not  seem  to  have 
acquired  any  of  Mr.  Hammerstein's  modern 
tastes.  It  seems  very  doubtful  if,  under  Con- 
ried's  regime,  he  would  ever  have  been  tem- 
porized with  in  this  manner.  There  is  no  tell- 
ing how  many  years  would  have  passed  before 
America  heard  "Pelleas  et  Melisande,"  "Thais," 
and  "Louise,"  had  it  not  been  for  Hammerstein, 
although  we  are  assured  on  good  authority  that 
Conried  refused  such  operas  because  he  was 
convinced  they  needed  an  intimate  treatment 
which  the  size  of  the  Metropolitan  prohibited. 
As  an  Impresario,  Hammerstein  seems  to  have 
had  a  constitution  of  iron,  and  he  bowed  to  no 


190  THE    LIFE    or    HEINRICH    CONRIED 

man's  will  but  his  own.  As  for  Mr.  Conried's 
successor,  Signor  Giulio  Gatti-Casazza, — due 
to  the  influence  of  his  conductor,  Toscanini,  the 
emphasis  has  been  placed  very  largely  upon 
Italian  opera,  encouraged  further  by  the  popu- 
larity of  Caruso  and  Farrar.  The  German 
opera,  while  being  maintained,  has  not  called 
forth  any  great  exponent.  The  fact  of  the 
matter  is,  it  is  rarely  the  case  that  a  tenor,  like 
Jean  de  Reszke,  can  appear  with  equal  success 
in  French,  German,  and  Italian  opera;  certainly 
Caruso  cannot.  On  the  other  hand,  Signor 
Gatti-Casazza,  due  to  the  interest  in  the  revolu- 
tionary school,  as  seen  in  the  Russian  composers, 
has  been  able  to  present,  during  his  regime, 
such  revolutionary  pieces  as  Moussorgsky's 
"Boris  Godounoff"  and  Borodin's  "Prince 
Igor," — a  type  of  opera  which  Mr.  Conried 
would  scarcely  have  cared  to  present  to  the 
audiences  of  ten  or  twelve  years  past.  Thus 
are  we  able  to  measure  the  change  in  musical 
taste  and  ideals. 

During  his  regime,  the  Director  of  the  Metro- 
politan has  to  consult  the  pleasure  of  a  Board. 
It  is  his  ambition  to  please  and  placate  the 
stockholders  and  the  boxholders.  From  them 
he,  at  any  time,  holds  himself  open  to  correc- 
tion.    Those  who  have  regular  Monday  night 


THE    IJFE   OF    HEINRICH    CONRIEl)  191 

seats  at  the  Opera  maj^  write  him  that  they 
are  being  surfeited  with  Freneh  and  Italian 
opera,  that  they  are  not  getting  as  much  Ger- 
man opera  as  they  would  like.  Others  may  tell 
him  that  they  are  not  hearing  as  great  a  variety 
of  singers  as  they  were  promised  in  his  pros- 
pectus. But  Hammerstein  put  himself  beyond 
the  pale  of  such  criticism.  His  subscribers  had 
to  take  what  he  wanted.  His  Opera  House 
was  his  own. 

Morning,  noon,  and  night,  the  Impresario  is 
besieged  by  singer  candidates.  He  makes  ap- 
pointments with  them  for  the  next  day,  per- 
haps. He  walks  into  a  room  where  they  are 
seated,  and  one  by  one  they  are  tested  and 
passed  over.  The  Impresario  jots  down  in  his 
little  note-book  his  momentary  comments  and 
impressions  for  further  reference.  For  ex- 
ample, during  his  trip  to  Europe  in  the  sum- 
mer of  1906,  Conried  wrote:  "I  do  not  recol- 
lect having  heard  Miss  L.,  though  I  do  not 
want  to  be  positive;  I  have  to  hear  so  very 
many  that  it  may  have  escaped  my  memory. 
My  memorandum  book  is  already  in  my  trunk, 
shipped  to  New  York,  and  only  there  can  I 
find  some  definite  statement.  One  thing  I  may 
say,  however, — if  Miss  L.  was  of  extraordinary 
value,   I  think  I   would  have  remembered  it." 


192  THE   LIFE   OF    HEINRICH    CONRIED 

He  often  has  to  pause  and  listen  to  the  heart- 
breaking stories  of  these  candidates,  to  the  tales 
of  dire  privation  and  continued  struggle,  only  to 
end  in  failure.  In  his  scouring  of  Europe  for 
singers,  the  Impresario  has  to  be  very  careful 
in  his  judgment,  for  fear  that  he  may  overlook 
some  gold-mine.  There  were  many  contracts 
which  Conried  found  in  his  desk,  when  he  suc- 
ceeded Grau  at  the  Metropolitan,  of  which  he 
did  not  take  advantage.  In  fact,  it  was  purely 
by  accident  that  he  renewed  Gran's  contract 
with  Caruso.  For  as  we  have  said,  Mr.  Con- 
ried, when  he  became  Impresario,  was  igno- 
rant of  most  musical  matters,  and  had  never 
heard  of  the  great  Italian  tenor.  Here  is  the 
true  story  of  his  "find." 

Mr.  Conried  went  to  the  Italian  consulate 
in  New  York,  and  inquired  of  tlie  Consul  who 
was  the  greatest  living  tenor.  The  prompt  re- 
ply was,  "Caruso."  He  next  cabled  Covent 
Garden,  and  across  seas  came  the  assurance, 
"Caruso."  Then,  one  day,  so  the  story  con- 
tinues, he  was  having  his  shoes  shined.  "Who 
is  the  greatest  Italian  tenor  living?"  he  asked 
the  bootblack.  And  the  answer  came  with- 
out hesitation,  "Caruso."  He  rushed  down 
to  the  Italian  Savings  Bank,  in  New  York 
City.      "Who   is   the   greatest   Italian   singer?" 


THE   LIFE  OF   HEINRICII    CONRIED  193 

he  asked  President  Francolini.  "Caruso,  of 
course,"  was  the  reply.  "And  what  is  more," 
the  President  continued,  "the  Secretary  of  this 
bank,  Signor  Simonelh,  knows  Caruso's  agent." 
In  this  indirect  fashion,  Conried  got  in  touch 
with  the  great  Italian  tenor. 

One  morning,  soon  after  he  arrived  in  Eiu-ope, 
Conried  and  his  son  were  walking  the  streets  of 
Berlin,  when  they  met  Herr  Rudolf  Christians, 
who  is  now  the  Director  of  the  German  Thea- 
tre in  New  York.  The  latter  told  Conried  he 
was  on  his  way  to  a  certain  Italian  restaurant 
for  luncheon,  and  that  he  was  going  there  be- 
cause the  proprietor  had  promised  to  let  him 
hear  a  phonographic  record  of  what  he  con- 
sidered to  be  a  truly  remarkable  tenor  voice. 
Everyone,  it  seemed,  was  buying  these  recortis! 
The  tenor's  name  was  Caruso.  The  matter 
dropped  from  Mr.  Conried's  mind  until  he  ar- 
rived in  Paris.  He  and  his  son  were  on  the 
Boulevard  des  Italiens,  when  they  passed  a 
phonograph  store,  and,  the  memory  of  Caruso 
once  more  occurring  to  Mr.  Conried,  he  dropped 
in  and  asked  to  hear  the  Caruso  record  played. 
It  was  thus  that  he  first  heard  the  great  tenor's 
voice. 

In  a  conversation  with  Mr.  Caruso,  which 
I  had  with  him  in  his  sj)acious  apartments  in 


194«  THE    LIFE    OF    HEINEICH    CONRIED 

the  Knickerbocker  Hotel,  he  continued  the 
story.  "When  I  heard  that  Grau  had  re- 
signed," he  declared,  "I  asked  my  agent  to  find 
out  whether  my  contract  would  hold  good  with 
the  new  Director,  whoever  he  should  be.  My 
friend  by  correspondence  was  Simonelli,  in  New 
York.  Through  him  we  heard  of  Mr.  Conried's 
appointment.  The  new  Impresario  asked  if  T 
would  come  to  America  for  ten  performances. 
'No,'  I  cabled.  'What  I  want  to  know  is 
whether  the  Grau  contract  holds  good!'  Three 
times,  back  and  forth,  we  cabled,  for  I  was 
then  in  negotiations  with  Monte  Carlo,  and  the 
opera  houses  in  South  America,  where  I  had 
gained  some  of  my  experience,  were  wanting  me 
back.  Finally  Mr.  Conried  said  'Yes,'  and  I 
came, — and  here  I  am." 

Grau  had  missed  his  opportunity  at  one  time, 
for,  while  he  was  at  Covent  Garden,  in  London, 
he  might  have  engaged  Caruso  at  $700  an  even- 
ing, but  did  not  do  so.  The  Grau  contract 
called  for  $1,000  a  night,  to  be  increased  if 
Caruso  were  a  success.  We  know  the  result. 
From  1903,  Signor  Caruso  has  been  petted  and 
pampered.  The  Impresario,  the  Press  Repre- 
sentative, the  whole  technical  staff  of  the  Metro- 
politan, bow  before  him,  and  give  in  to  his 
wishes.     For  he  has  proven  himself,   from  the 


THE   LIFE   OF    HEINRICH    CONRIED  195 

beginning  of  ^Ir.  Conried's  regime  to  the  pres- 
ent moment,  to  be  the  Opera's  greatest  financial 
investment.  He  was  the  gold-mine  that  came 
to  the  rescue  of  Conried  when  Hammerstein  en- 
tered the  operatic  field.  The  latter  secured 
Bonci,  and  advertised  him  as  Caruso's  rival. 
But  Caruso  has  no  peer,  unless  in  memory 
there  still  reigns  Jean  de  Reszke,  who  exceeds 
him  in  the  matter  of  versatility  and  intellectual 
grasp.  We  believe,  on  the  other  hand,  that 
Signor  Caruso  is  more  lavish  and  more  generous 
with  his  voice,  through  his  personal  enthusiasm 
saving  himself  little  during  a  performance.* 

It  is  interesting  to  obtain  a  near  and  an 
inside  view  of  the  life  of  an  Impresario  and^ 
while  we  will  have  occasion  to  refer  to  Mr.  Con^ 
ried's  correspondence  in  the  proper  logical  order 
of  the  different  performances,  it  is  well  at  this 
moment  to  go  through  his  private  papers  and 
to  take  therefrom  whatever  impression  may  be 
gained  of  the  stress  and  strain  of  that  existence 
of  an  Impresario  which  kills.  Conditions  have 
changed  very  little  since  his  regime  at  the 
Metropolitan  Opera  House.  Salaries  have  in- 
creased to  a  certain  exent,  but  the  bulk  of  ex- 
penditure of  Opera  is  not  any  greater  than  it 
was  then,  and  the  tasks  of  the  Impresario  are 

*  Tlinse  who  knew  Mr.  Conrioti  doclared  that  he  never  thor- 
oughly enjoyed  opera  unless  Caru.so  sang. 


196  THE   LIFE   OF    HEINRICII    CONRIED 

about    the    same,    under    normal    conditions, — 
which  are  always  abnormal! 

The  Impresario  needs  to  be  careful  of  'the 
relative  values  of  his  "stars";  there  is  much 
jealousy  among  them  as  to  their  standing  in 
public  favor.  If  one  is  superseded  by  another 
in  a  cast,  it  often  follows  that  the  second  singer 
feels  offended  because  she  was  not  originally 
selected  as  the  Impresario's  first  choice.  To  the 
Impresario,  complaints  of  this  character  are 
constant,  and  he  has  to  deal  with  them  in  a  most 
conciliatory  manner.  Here  is  a  typical  ex- 
ample : 

Most  Honored  Director: 

Yesterday  I  was  persuaded  again  to  sing 
twice  in  succession,  in  order  to  do  you  a  great 
favor.  In  return  for  that,  you  have  had  notices 
printed  in  this  morning's  papers  to  the  effect 
that,  because  of  the  change  in  the  repertoire,  on 
Monday,  "Elisir  d'Amore"  will  be  given  with 
Caruso  and  Sembrich,  and  because  of  that,  the 
New  York  public  will  have  the  fortune  to  be 
able  to  listen  to  Caruso  once  more  before  his 
departure.  You  may,  Director,  expect  much 
from  Caruso,  and  rightly,  too.  But  Sembrich 
is  Sembricli,  and  the  public  comes  to  hear  the 
opera,    "Eiisir   d'Amore,"    with    Sembrich   and 


THE    LIFE   OF    HEINRICII    CONRIED  197 

Caruso.  I  know  now  that  it  will  be  impossible 
for  me  to  sing  four  times  in  two  days,  especially 
two  days  in  succession.  Therefore,  I  ask  you 
not  to  announce  me  Monday,  as  under  no  cir- 
cumstances can  I  sing. 

With  best  regards. 
Yours  respectfully, 

Marcella  Sembrich. 

The  singer,  however,  is  not  always  forgetful 
of  the  Impresario,  especially  if,  through  that 
Impresario,  his  or  her  advance  has  been  as- 
sured. One  of  the  artists  encouraged  through 
the  friendly  interest  of  Mr.  Conried.was  Ric- 
cardo  Martin,  an  American  boy,  Avho  had 
graduated  from  Columbia  University,  New 
York.  From  Florence,  Italy,  on  July  26, 
1908,  after  Mr.  Conried  was  stricken  with  what 
proved  to  be  his  final  illness,  there  arrived  this 
letter  of  appreciation,  relative  to  Mr.  Conried's 
resignation : 

My  Dear  Mr.  Conried: 

For  some  time  it  has  been  my  intention  to 
write  and  thank  you  most  sincerely  for  the 
photograph  which  you  so  kindly  left  for  me 
in  New  York,  and  which  I  found  on  my  re- 
turn from  the  Journee.  I  thank  you  most 
heartily,  and  greatly  appreciate  the  gift. 


198  THE   LIFE    OF    HEINRICH    CONRIED 

"Immer  Vorwarts"  has  always  been  and  shall 
always  be  my  motto.  I  came  to  Italy  directly 
from  New  York,  and  have  been  following 
Maestro  Lombard!  around  ever  since.  He  has 
now  returned  to  his  home  in  Florence,  and  here 
I  hope  he  will  remain  until  it  is  time  for  me 
to  return  to  America.  He  has  wrought  an 
amelioration  in  my  voice  which  I  consider  little 
short  of  marvellous.  He  has  given  me  a  facility 
of  emission,  a  volume  of  tone,  and  quality  up  to 
the  high  C  and  C#,  which  I  did  not  dream  T 
possessed.  I  am  the  only  pupil  he  has  consented 
to  receive  during  his  vacation,  and  my  one  re- 
gret is  that  I  can  study  with  him  for  so  short 
a  time.  I  am  more  than  ever  grateful  to  Mr. 
Cottenet,  Caruso,  Bonci,  and  Scotti  for  recom- 
mending me  to  such  a  wonderful  Maestro.  If  I 
could  only  study  one  year  with  him!  Lom- 
bard! is  very  anxious  for  me  to  come  back  to 
Italy  and  sing  again  in  the  Italian  ...  as  he 
assures  me  that  I  also  am  a  5,000-franc-a-night 
tenor ! 

Dear  Mr.  Conried,  please  excuse  my  writing 
you  all  this ;  but  I  have  always  felt  that  you  had 
a  personal  interest  in  me  and  wanted  me  to 
succeed.     .     .     . 

Gratefully  yours, 

RiccARDo  Martin. 


THE   LIFE   OF    HEINRICH    CONRIED  199 

The  Impresario  needs  to  look  after  the  health 
of  his  "stars."  He  is  never  certain,  until  the 
night  of  the  performance,  whether  or  not  he 
will  have  to  make  changes  in  .the  cast  at  the  last 
moment,  due  to  a  cold  or  some  slight  indisposi- 
tion. That  is  why  he  finds  it  necessary  to  have 
his  singers  within  immediate  telephone  call  of 
him.  Mr.  Conried  always  asked  for  their  day's 
plans.  A  regular  routine  list  had  to  be  left 
at  the  office  of  the  Metropolitan,  so  that,  at 
any  hour,  Mr.  Conried  might  be  able  to  lay 
his  hands  on  whomsoever  he  might  suddenly 
call  upon. 

When  Signor  Caruso  first  came  to  America 
(it  was  his  initial  week,  I  believe),  a  cold  pre- 
vented him  from  singing  in  "La  Boheme."  At 
a  moment's  notice  the  Impresario  was  called 
upon  to  fill  this  vacancy,  inasmuch  as  it  was 
not  expedient  to  change  the  opera.  Fortu- 
nately, a  singer  was  in  New  York  on  his  way 
to  South  America,  and  happened  to  be  free  for 
the  evening;  he  was  immediately  secured.  This 
denouement  caused  Mr.  Conried  thereafter  to 
make  sure  that  several  singers  in  his  company 
were  equipped  with  a  thorough  understanding 
of  the  same  role.  Such  a  policy  saved  him  much 
future  uneasiness,  but  did  not  relieve  him  from 


200  THE   LIFE   OF    HEINRICH    CONRIED 

the  necessity  of  looking  after  the  health  of  those 
who  were  precious  to  his  success. 
One  note  runs: 

Most  Esteemed  Director: 

Receive,  I  beg  you,  my  best  and  heartiest 
thanks  for  your  great  kindness.  The  greeting 
of  flowers  pleased  me  very  much.  Your  ad- 
vice as  to  the  treatment  of  my  cold  has  been 
followed  with  good  results,  and  to-day,  I  am, 
thanks  to  you,  so  far  recovered  that  I  can  al- 
ready sing  exercises.  To  be  sure,  I  haven't 
obeyed  my  own  doctor,  as  you  can  guess,  but 
I  have  given  him  advice  instead, — that  should 
he  ever  have  a  patient  with  whom  he  doesn't 
know  what  to  do,  he  should  apply  to  you  for 
advice. 

Accept  my  heartiest  thanks  for  the  flowers 
and  for  the  cure. 

Yours  respectfully, 

MiLKA    TeRNINA. 

During  Mr.  Conried's  regime,  he  was  strongly 
criticized  for  his  inability  to  contract  with  old- 
time  favorites.  There  was  much  talk  in  the 
public  Press  about  the  possible  reappearance 
of  Jean  de  Reszke,  but  that  tenor  was  wise  in 
his  persistent  retirement.     Conried  was  accused 


THE    LIFE   OF    HEINRICII    CONRIED  201 

of  indifference  to  him,  yet  the  real  difficulty 
was  with  Jean  de  Reszke  himself.  He  refused 
financial  offers  of  the  most  flattering  kind  from 
Mr.  Conried.  I  find  a  telegram  addressed  to 
Astruc  in  Paris,  which  runs  as  follows: 

My  offer  for  Jean  was  ten  performances  in 
six  weeks,  three  thousand  dollars  each  perform- 
ance, with  right  to  renew  for  ten  more  perform- 
ances at  the  same  terms.  This  is  absolutely  the 
highest  salary  possible.  Would  have  to  know  at 
once.  If  I  had  known  before,  would  not  have 
engaged  Rousseliere  and  Soubeyran.  Expect 
answer  about  Colonne. 

Nothing  resulted  from  these  negotiations. 
Mr.  Conried  was  a  constant  visitor  at  M.  de 
Reszke's  singing-school  in  Paris,  and  often  in- 
structed his  artists  to  go  to  him  in  the  pre- 
paration for  a  role.  We  find  him  writing  to 
Mme.  Raj)pold,  from  Bad  Gastein,  on  July  31, 
1906: 

I  was  delighted  to  hear  you  had  sung  for 
Mme.  Wagner  and  Siegfried,  and  it  would  be 
very  nice  to  get  the  invitation  to  sing  at  Bay- 
reuth,  but  if  you  do,  do  not  promise  anything; 
simply  say  you  will  be  delighted  to  do  so,  if  you 
can  J  but  by  all  means  you  must   get  this  in- 


202  THE    LIFE    OF    HEINRICH    CONRIED 

vitation  in  writing.  If  you  want  to  stay  a  week 
longer,  do  so,  but  I  think  you  should  not  remain 
any  longer  than  that.  Your  work  with  Fuchs, 
in  Munich,  is  of  very  gi'eat  importance,  and  you 
must  go  to  Jean  in  September.  Take  the 
parts  of  Freya  and  Fricha.  Please  find  out 
if  Mr.  Humperdinck  (composer  of  "Hansel 
und  Gretel")  is  in  Bayreuth;  if  so,  telegraph 
me.  .  .  .  You  can  tell  him  I  have  some 
money  for  him.     .     .     . 

With  best  regards  from  us  all. 

Yours   very   truly, 

CONRIED. 

It  is  thus  that  a  "star,"  engaged  to  sing  in 
opera,  finds  her  time  all  mapped  out  for  her 
by  the  Impresario,  even  before  the  season  be- 
gins. All  the  while  the  Director  is  travelling 
through  Europe,  he  is  fornuilating  his  plans, 
and,  like  a  veritable  dictator,  is  sending  forth 
mandates  to  his  singers.  These  instructions  are 
not  mere  requests;  they  are  absolute  orders. 
Early  in  July  the  instructions  are  forwarded, 
thick  and  fast.    For  example: 

My  Dear  Monsieur  Plan^on: 

I  have  received  your  letter  of  June  18,  and  I 
appreciate  the  reason  you  offer  me  regarding 


THE   LIFE   OF    HEINRICH    CONRIED  'J03 

Mepliisto  in  "La  Damnation  de  Faust."  Only 
you  are  not  so  fat  (gros)  as  you  believe,  and  as 
you  have  already  studied  the  role,  I  pray  j^ou 
to  make  ready  to  sing  it.  I  am  sure  of  your 
success  in  this  role. 

As  for  "Lalvme,"  I  understand  that  is  abso- 
lutely impossible  for  you. 

Now,  my  dear  Monsieur  Plan^on,  here  are 
the  new  operas  that  I  wish  to  give  in  French 
and  Italian  during  the  next  season: 

"L'Africaine"  (Italian),  "Mme.  Butterfly" 
(Italian);  "Damnation  de  Faust"  (French), 
"Fra  Diavola"  (Italian) ;  "Puritani"  (Italian), 
"Fedora"  (Italian),  "Manon  Lescaut"  (Ital- 
ian),  "Adrienne   Lecouvreur"    (Italian). 

I  count  upon  you  for  Don  Pedro  or  Uln- 
quisitor  in  "L'Africaine"  (Italian),  Mephisto 
in  "Damnation"  (French),  if  that  is  possible, 
Giacomo  in  "Fra  Diavolo"  (Italian),  Sir 
G-iorgio  in  "Puritani"    (Italian). 

I  am  told  that  you  already  have  sung  in  these 
roles.  If  there  are  any  that  you  do  not  know 
yet,  I  wish  you  would  study  them.  Write 
me  at  Bad  Gastein,  Hotel  Kaiserhof,  if  I  may 
count  upon  you  for  these  roles. 

Very  much  the  same  type  of  letter  was  sent 
to  M.  Journet,  only  with  the  further  instruc- 


204)  THE   LIFE    OF   HEINRICH    CONRIED 

tions  that  new  costumes  must  be  procured  for 
his  parts  in  "Figaro"  and  "Gioconda." 

I  find  an  interesting  note  to  Caruso,  in  ilhis- 
tration  of  the  cordial  relationship  existing  be- 
tween singer  and  Impresario: 

My  Dear  Caruso: 

Do  not  trouble  yourself  about  your  passage 
to  New  York.  I  will  be  very  glad  if  you  come 
as  you  like  to  come,  on  whatever  steamer  or 
line  you  want.  I  know  you  too  well  not  to  be 
sure  that  you  will  not  spend  more  money  than 
is  absolutely  necessary,  and,  in  making  the  ar- 
rangements, you  will  do  all  you  can  to  get  terms 
as  cheap  as  possible.  I  will  return  to  you  the 
money  you  pay  for  the  passage  when  you  ar- 
rive in  New  York. 

About  your  costumes,  I  say  the  same.  If  you 
want  to  order  them  at  Landolf,  do  so.  The 
costumes  needed  for  this  season  will  be  "Faust," 
"Carmen,"  Lionel,  "Favorita,"  "Somnambula," 
" Manon"    (Puccini ) . 

My  telegram  to  you  told  you  that  I  am  thank- 
ful for  your  congratulations,  but  I  do  not  know 
why  or  wherefore  you  congratulate  me.     What 

have  I  done  ?  *  ^^  ^ 

Heinrich   Conried. 

*  Caruso  referred  to  one  of  the  many  Orders  bestowed  on  Mr. 
Conried  by  foreign  governments.     See  Chajjter  X. 


<^t  ^^?  ;?  >^ i    .r-  t:i  ^  t  t^-  ^  /d 


ENRICO    CARUSO 


THE   LIFE  OF    HEINRICII    CONRIED  205 

As  the  time  draws  near  for  the  Impresario  to 
return  to  America  after  his  long  and  arduous 
search  for  new  singers  and  new  parts,  and  after 
he  has  re-engaged  the  favorites  of  the  pre- 
vious season,  his  letters  take  on  a  very  peremp- 
tory tone.  For  he  now  begins  rounding  up 
the  details  before  his  sailing.  Contracts  are  to 
be  signed  and  witnessed  at  the  last  moment, 
transportation  terms  have  to  be  agreed  upon, 
the  repertories  have  to  be  assigned,  and  all  of 
these  details  have  to  be  consummated  with 
definiteness  and  with  a  polite  insistence  that 
will  end  in  nothing  but  success. 

"My  work  has  not  diminished,"  writes  Mr. 
Conried,  "and  the  only  hope  for  rest  is  the 
ocean  trip — with  my  seasickness!" 

Notice  the  absolute  command  Mr.  Conried 
had  of  the  detailed  arrangements,  not  only  for 
his  ^letropolitan  Opera  House,  but  for  his  Irv- 
ing Place  Theatre,  during  the  season  of  1906-7. 
He,  for  example,  is  making  his  contract  with 
Mme.  Fremstad  for  the  coming  year,  guarantee- 
ing her  forty  performances,  with  the  privilege 
of  appearing  in  private  or  public  concerts  ten 
times  out  of  the  forty,  it  being  thoroughly  under- 
stood that  there  will  be  no  appearances  two 
nights  in  succession.  We  find  in  the  very  ex- 
tensive repertoire  for  which  she  was  cast,  that 


206  THE   LIFE   OF   HEINRICH   CONRIED 

in  case  Strauss's  "Salome"  was  not  given,  she 
was  to  appear  as  Isolde  in  "Tristan  und  Isolde" ; 
her  passage  to  and  from  Europe  was  guaranteed, 
and  many  of  her  costumes  were  to  be  supplied 
free  of  charge.  At  the  same  time,  we  find  Mr. 
Conried  writing  to  his  representative,  Mr.  Cas- 
tel-Bert,  regarding  a  ship-stage  for  the  Irving 
Place  Theatre,  wherein  a  scene  might  be  built, 
representing  the  interior  of  a  smoking-room 
aboard  a  liner,  it  being  Mr.  Conried's  idea  to 
represent  how  seasick  the  people  in  a  certain 
play  could  get. 

The  Impresario,  however  autocratic  he  may 
be,  must  be  careful  to  show  regard  for  the  feel- 
ings of  his  singers.  If  he  wishes  them  to  oblige 
him,  he  is  compelled  to  approach  them  with 
gloved  hands,  although  there  are  many  letters 
before  me  written  with  the  hand  of  mail. 
Bringing  an  artist  of  large  name  to  terms  is 
no  easy  matter.  Tact,  rather  than  sincerity, 
is  characteristic  of  the  following  letter,  dated 
August  18,  1906: 

My  Dear  Mr.  Plan^on: 

Do  not  think  that  I,  because  you  were  nice 
and  kind  in  granting  my  former  requests  in 
regard  to  new  parts,  take  advantage.  I  think 
the  i^art  now  in  question  is  one  you  have  sung 


THE   LIFE  OF   HEINRICH    CONRIED  207 

before.  It  is  the  role  of  Milakantha  in  "Lak- 
me,"  which  I  want  to  give  with  Mme.  Sembrich. 
You  will  greatly  oblige  me  if  you  will  let  me 
know  your  decision. 

Thanking  you  beforehand,  I  am, 

Yours  sincerely, 

Heinrich   Conried. 

A  request  of  similar  spirit  was  sent  to  M: 
Scotti,  showing  the  difficulties  arising  from 
language : 

I  know  that  it  is  not  very  pleasant  for  you  to 
study  in  French,  but  I  have  to  produce  so  many 
things  new  this  season,  that  I  am  compelled  to 
task  my  artists  a  little  heavier  than  usual. 

Often,  an  artist  who  has  created  a  favorable 
impression  on  the  Impresario,  is  impossible  to 
secure.  "I  am  trying  to  engage  Mr.  Jehin," 
writes  Mr.  Conried,  "and  have  been  trying  for 
several  months  to  do  so,  but  have  not  succeeded 
so  far.  He  is  engaged  at  Monte  Carlo,  and  the 
question  is  if  he  can  get  released.  You  are  quite 
right.  He  is  very  fine,  but  the  trouble  is,  all  are 
engaged  and  not  to  be  had." 

During  that  same  season  abroad, — the  sum- 
mer of  1906, — Mr.  Conried  was  making  several 


208  THE   LIFE   OF   HEINRICH    CONRIED 

plans  for  his  artists, — plans  that  were  never 
consummated.  For  example,  from  Vienna,  on 
June  10,   1906,  he  writes: 

My  Dear  Mme.  Eames: 

As  much  as  I  would  have  liked  to  meet 
you  soon,  I  cannot  arrange  it  at  present,  and 
must  see  if  I  will  be  able  to  call  on  you  later. 
I  really  do  not  know  what  new  opera  to  submit 
to  you.  "Cavalleria"  is  too  expensive  to  be 
given  with  you.  What  I  am  looking  for  is  an 
opera  which  fills  the  entire  evening.  I  have 
decided  to  give  "Butterfly,"  "Damnation," 
"Manon"  (Puccini),  very  likely  "Adrienne 
Lecouvreur."  Would  you  sing  Seliha  in  "Afri- 
caine,"  which  will  be  a  very  big  production? 

I  hope  to  be  able  to  suggest  something  very 
soon. 

I  wish  you  would  go  to   Dresden   to   hear 
Strauss's  "Salome";  simply  grand! 
Yours  as  ever, 

Conried. 

In  this  vein,  likewise,  he  writes  to  Miss 
Farrar : 

Thanks  for  your  letter.  I  am  awfully  sorry 
that  you  cannot  arrange  to  come  here.  I  will 
try  my  utmost  to  see  you  on  the  6th,  at  Salz- 


THE   LIFE   OF    HEINRICH    CONRIED  209 

burg;  if  not,  I  will  communicate  with  you  by 
letter. 

In  case  I  should  come  to  terms  with  Richard 
Strauss — he  asks  at  present  ridiculously  high 
terms — I  would  be  very  much  pleased  to  have 
you  create  Salome,  which  will  very  likely  be 
done  about  the  middle  of  February. 
Very  sincerely, 

H.  C. 

How  about  Butterfly? 

And  a  few  days  later  he  writes: 

Will  you  please  let  me  know  how  long  you 
will  stay  in  Salzburg,  from  the  6th  of  August? 
And  will  you  kindly  state  if  you  are  willing  to 
sing  "Butterfly?"  It  seems  I  cannot  come  to 
terms  with  Strauss  about  "Salome."  He  wants 
the  earth  and  a  small  piece  besides. 
Very  truly  yours, 

CONRIED. 

The  friendliest  relations  always  existed  be- 
tween Miss  Farrar  and  Mr.  Conried.  After 
the  Impresario's  resignation,  when  he  went 
abroad,  she  was  one  among  the  many  to  write 
him  cordially. 

Dear  Mr.  Conried: 

I   should  have  written  before,  but  have  had 


210  THE   LIFE   OF   HEINRICH    CONRIED 

SO  much  to  do.  Where  are  you?  And  I  hope 
the  summer  brings  you  health  and  strength. 
Shall  you  come  to  Berlin  this  fall?  I  shall 
be  here  till  the  27th  of  October.  As  you  have 
doubtless  read,  I  have  re-signed,  and  all  seems 
smooth  till  the  five  years  are  up.  Please  give 
our  kind  regards  and  best  wishes  to  your  family. 
Has  Mrs.  Conried  still  the  taste  for  naughty 
French  literature?  I  can  give  her  some  good 
books!  I  have  been  riding  horseback  to  reduce. 
And  also  have  made  several  auto  trips  in  the 
Harz. 

Ask  some  of  the  people  who  surround  you, 
and  who  have  nothing  to  do  but  play  pinochle, 
to  let  me  hear  from  you!    Always  here  at  Berlin. 

I  have  two  parrots,  and  a  pig  that  plays  Car- 
men when  you  turn  its  tail!    Very  amusing! 
With  Herzlichen  Griissen,  thine, 

Geraldine    Farrar.* 

Your  doctor  will  not  find  this  letter  a  strain 
on  your  nerves! 

*  See  Henry  T.  Finck's  "Success  in  Music  and  How  it  is  Won" 
(Scribner,  1909):  A  chapter,  page  174,  on  Miss  Farrar,  in  which 
he  quotes  some  very  delightful  correspondence  between  himself 
and  the  noted  singer.  This  correspondence  throws  a  most  inter- 
esting light  on  the  intellectual  approach  of  Miss  Farrar  toward 
her  work.  It  is  to  be  noted  also  that  Miss  Farrar,  in  the  Decem- 
ber, 1915,  number  of  the  Ladies  Home  Journal,  began  the  publica- 
tion of  her  reminiscences.  These  have  been  issued  in  book  form, 
1916,  by  Houghton  Mifflin  Co. 


THE    LIFE   or    HEINRICH    CONRIED  211 

The  Impresario  possesses  the  artistic  tempera- 
ment, as  well  as  his  singers,  and  if  he  thinks 
himself  imposed  upon,  he  will  not  brook  any 
authority  from  others.  This  telegram  to  Mme. 
Eames  is  illustrative  of  the  care  with  which 
Mr.  Conried  protected  his  position: 

Many  thanks,  but  the  tenor  of  your  letters 
dictates   to   me  to   cast   Selika   differently.     I 
never  want  to  be  accused  again  of  ingratitude. 
Nevertheless  I  will  always  remain. 
Your  faithful 

Conried. 

He  was  careful  in  his  treatment  of  Mme. 
Eames,  however,  even  though  every  now  and 
again  he  would  send  her  scolding  letters  and 
telegrams,  at  first  entreating  and  then  order- 
ing her  to  do  this  or  that;  telling  her  in  one 
outburst  of  the  irritation  he  felt  that  she  was 
the  only  one  among  his  "stars"  persistently  to 
oppose  his  wishes.  The  following  is  a  typical 
communication  [July  17,  1906]: 

My  Dear  Mme.  Eames: 

I  am  to-day  in  a  position  to  answer  your 
letter  of  June  28th,  and  to  ask  you  to  be  kind 
enough  to  consent  to  sing  Selika,  in  "Africaine," 
in  Italian,  as  the  artists  in  the  cast,  Caruso  and 


212  THE    LIFE    OF    HEINRICH    CONRIED 

SO  forth,  tell  me  It  would  be  an  impossibility  for 
them  to  study  their  parts  in  French,  and  you 
can  readily  understand  what  a  difference  it 
would  make  for  the  opera  if  Caruso  could  sing 
it  in  Italian. 

For  you,  it  is  the  easiest  matter  in  the  world, 
and  it  will  make  no  difference  to  you  and  to 
your  singing;  with  Caruso,  however,  it  is  dif- 
ferent, and  I  would  not  like  to  cast  the  opera 
without  him. 

I  have  ordered  most  beautiful  costumes  and 
scenery  for  the  production,  which  I  consider 
will  be  the  production  of  the  season.  If  you 
want  me  to,  I  will  gladly  send  you  the  costume- 
plates  which  Professor  Loeffler,  the  famous  pro- 
fessor of  the  Royal  Academy  in  Vienna,  has 
designed  for  Selika. 

"Damnation"  I  will  not  give  in  Italian  at  all. 
I  never  dreamed  of  it;  if  you  have  read  in  my 
letters  that  I  intended  to  do  so,  it  was  simply  a 
stupidity  or,  to  put  it  mildly,  a  slip  of  the  pen. 
I  am  sorry  to  say  that  up  to  now  I  have  not 
had  a  day's  rest,  working  harder  than  ever, 
and  I  hope  you  will  lighten  my  burden  by  wri- 
ting me  a  few  nice  lines,  telling  me  that  you  are 
ready  to  help  me  along,  wherever  you  can. 

The  Impresario   should  never  place  himself 


THE   LIFE  OF    HEINRICH    CONRIED  213 

in  the  position  of  appearing  to  need  the  ser- 
vices of  a  singer  badly.  When  he  states  his 
terms,  he  should  abide  by  them.  In  190.5,  while 
Mr.  Conried  was  negotiating  for  Dalmores,  he 
wrote  to  Hillier,  that  singer's  representative: 

Your  answer  to  my  proposition  surprised  me. 
After  granting  20,000  francs,  you  come  with 
new  propositions.  Now,  to  be  very  short:  I 
want  to  give  Mr.  Dalmores  a  chance.  I  am 
willing  to  risk  that  very  hig  salary,  but  I  am  not 
willing  to  do  more  than  I  said  in  my  last  letter. 
If  Mr.  Dalmores  feels  that  he  can  afford  to 
throw  away  the  opportunity  of  his  lifetime  so 
easily,  well  and  good.  I  have  had  offers  from 
different  tenors,  and  enclosed  you  will  find  a 
telegram  requestmg  me  to  send  a  contract  for 
Rousseliere;  besides,  D'Aubigne,  etc.  .  ,  . 
are  waiting  for  my  decision. 

The  Impresario,  after  engaging  a  singer,  has 
to  take  great  care  that  the  first  impression  of 
that  singer  on  the  public  is  favorable,  and  the 
consequence  is,  he  is  most  eager  to  select  a 
satisfactory  role  for  the  debut.  To  his  agent, 
Mr.  Conried  writes,  on  June  10,  1906: 

I  expect  the  photographs  of  Cavalieri. 
.     .     .     I  would  like  to  know  what  she  wishes 


214  THE   LIFE   OF    HEINRICH    CONRIED 

to  make  her  debut  in.  I  want  her  to  sing 
a  part  which  has  not  been  sung  before.  How 
would  Manon  or  Adrienne  or  Fedora  do? 

But,  even  though  an  Impresario  may  feel 
around  for  the  proper  casting  of  his  operas,  he 
is  very  careful  not  to  make  rash  promises  to 
his  singers.  It  often  happens  that  his  stars 
will  guard  jealously  certain  roles  as  belonging 
distinctively  to  them.  When  Hammerstein 
engaged  Cavalieri  for  the  Manhattan  Opera 
House,  he  promised  her,  in  an  unguarded  mo- 
ment of  enthusiasm,  that  she  should  appear  in 
"Thai's,"  a  role  that  had  gained  her  a  rej)uta- 
tion  in  Paris.  But,  when  Miss  Mary  Garden 
heard  of  this  promise — which  had  also  been 
made  to  her — she  sent  an  emphatic  cable  to 
Hammerstein,  declaring  that  either  he  would 
change  his  mind  or  accept  her  resignation! 
Opera  lovers  remember  the  bringing  to  mark 
of  this  Impresario.  He  wrote  an  apologetic 
letter  to  Miss  Garden,  declaring  that  he  would 
most  assuredly  abide  by  his  promise  to  her. 
So  Cavalieri  was  stricken  from  the  cast.  What 
was  the  result  of  this  faux  pas  on  the  part  of 
Hammerstein?  It  became  a  delicate  situation. 
Factions  immediately  developed  among  the 
Manhattan  Opera  House  singers.    The  Italians 


THE   LIFE  OF   HEINRICH    CONRIED  215 

were  at  war  with  the  French  because  the  Im- 
presario had  decided  for  the  Garden  rather 
for  the  Cavalieri!  Truly,  the  Impresario  is 
often  between  the  devil  and  the  deep  seal 

We  recollect  the  bitterness  created  in  Paris 
when  Debussy  selected  Miss  Mary  Garden,  in- 
stead of  Mme.  Maeterlinck,  for  the  role  of 
Melisande,  in  Maurice  Maeterlinck's  mystical 
drama;  and  it  is  a  matter  of  literary  history — 
the  estrangement  that  arose  between  author  and 
composer  because  of  that  fact.*  It  was  after 
this  incident  that  Maeterlinck  established  the  in- 
variable rule  that  his  wife  should  be  allowed 
an  option  on  all  opera  roles  based  on  his  dramas. 
Since  that  time,  Mme.  Maeterlinck  has  been 
heard  at  the  Boston  Opera  House  as  Melisande. 
But  nevertheless.  Miss  Garden  has  guarded  the 
role  jealously;  for,  though  Maggie  Teyte  has 
gained  a  reputation  in  Paris  as  the  mystical 
little  Princess,  she  was  prevented  from  appear- 
ing in  her  original  part  when  she  joined  the 
Chicago-Philadelphia  Company,  because  of  Miss 
Garden's  supremacy  and  self-appointed  pos- 
session. 

There  never  has  been  such  competition  in 
Grand  Opera  in  America  as  during  the  time 

*  See  the  Mary  Garden  Edition  of  Maeterlinck's  "Pclloas  and 
M61isande"  (Thomas  Y.  Crowell  Company),  with  an  introduction 
by  Montrose  J.  Moses. 


216  THE    LIFE    OF    HEINRICH    CONRIED 

succeeding  the  resignation  of  Heinrich  Conried 
— first  under  the  control  of  Dippel  and  Gatti- 
Casazza,  and  finally  under  the  supreme  con- 
trol of  the  latter.  Hammerstein  had  so  suc- 
ceeded in  stirring  things  up  that  rivalry  was 
strenuous. 

There  is  no  telling  what  would  have  been  the 
future  history  of  the  Metropolitan  had  it  not 
been  possible  for  the  Directors  to  buy  out  the 
Manhattan  Opera  Company,  and,  through  the 
transaction,  to  debar  Hammerstein  from  again 
being  an  Impresario  in  New  York.  Like  Con- 
ried, Mr.  Hammerstein  guarded  his  contracts 
zealously.  During  his  three  years  of  office 
as  Impresario,  his  time  was  largely  spent  in 
issuing  injunctions  against  particular  singers. 
Albani,  Constantineau,  Marguerite  Silvia — all 
had  to  resort  to  subterfuge  in  order  to  escape 
the  constable,  sent  to  uphold  the  rights  of  Mr. 
Hammerstein,  when  they  wished  to  sing  else- 
where. On  the  other  hand,  there  were  singers 
who  tried  to  break  their  agreements  with  the 
Metropolitan  in  order  to  make  better  contracts 
with  the  rival  house.  It  is  told  that  Dalmores, 
during  a  suit  brought  against  him  for  $25,000 
by  the  Metropolitan  Opera  Company,  escaped 
aboard  a  ship  in  the  uniform  of  a  cornet 
player!     It  is  a  matter  of  record  that  Conried 


THE   LIFE  OF    HEINRICH    CONRIED  217 

might  have  had  Renaiid,  if  he  had  been  a  judge 
of  singers,  and  had  taken  advantage  of  a  con- 
tract which  was  on  his  desk.  But  he  was  made 
to  realize  by  agents  abroad  that,  as  an  artist, 
Renaud  was  not  always  dependable,  and  it 
was  the  dependable  singer  Mr.  Conried  was 
looking  for. 

Sometimes  an  Impresario  is  himself  obliged 
to  come  to  terms;  sometimes  he  takes  a  stand 
based  solely  on  his  own  observation,  rather  than 
on  any  technical  knowledge  he  may  possess; 
and  sometimes  his  eagerness  to  secure  a  parti- 
cular result  is  based  on  his  own  personal  ambi- 
tion. It  was  Mr.  Conried's  ability  to  get  those 
he  most  needed,  that  did  most  to  add  lustre 
to  his  reputation  as  an  Impresario.  Here,  for 
instance,  is  a  characteristic  note: 

My  Dear  Mr.  Astruc: 

As  there  is  no  possibility  of  Chaliapine  accept- 
ing my  terms,  I  will  engage  him  at  the  terms 
stated  by  you;  that  is,  twenty-six  performances 
in  three  months. 

Now,  to  the  conductor.  You  make  a  big 
mistake  in  offering  me  a  conductor  like  M. 
Catherine  at  terms  which  the  very  first  con- 
ductor receives  at  my  Opera  House.  In  fact, 
he  has   much   less.      Catherine,    I   know,   is   a 


218  THE   LIFE   OF   HEINRICH    CONRIED 

very  good  corepetitor,  but  not  the  orchestra 
director  I  want.  He  must  be  an  authority.  I 
believe  that  M.  Catherine  earns  as  corepetitor, 
by  giving  lessons  and  accompanying,  more 
money  than  an  ordinary  orchestra  leader  would 
earn.  That  does  not  come  into  question  with 
me.  I  don't  need  a  corepetitor.  I  need  an 
excellent  musical  director  who  has  had  lots  of 
experience  at  leading  opera  houses. 

Find  out  under  what  conditions  you  could  get 
Colonne,  for  about  three  or  four  months,  com- 
mencing November.  He  could  conduct  "Dam- 
nation," "Faust,"  "Romeo,"  "Carmen,"  "Afri- 
caine."  Bear  in  mind  that  the  conditions  could 
not  be  such  ridiculously  high  ones  as  you  prob- 
ably would  propose.  I  note  that  he  received 
for  a  single  concert  in  New  York  a  very  large 
amount ;  but  it  is  a  different  thing  engaging  him 
for  three  or  four  months. 

You  know  that  Mottl,  the  great  conductor, 
has  been  engaged  by  me.  And  I  am  sure  that 
Colonne  should  not  charge  as  much  as  Mottl, 
who  surely  has  an  immense  income  in  Ger- 
many. I  am  willing  to  pay  M.  Colonne  as  high 
a  salary  as  any  leading  conductor  in  the  world 
could  justly  demand,  but  this  must  be  in  rea- 
son. You  must  take  into  consideration  that 
the  salary  paid  to   M.   Colonne  will   only  in- 


THE   LIFE  OF    HEINRICH    CONRIEl)  219 

crease  my  expenses,  and  not  my  income.  All 
seats  for  next  season,  as  you  know,  are  sold 
by  subscription,  and  I  cannot  do  more  than 
sell  out.  It  is  only  my  artistic  ambition  that 
lets  me  make  the  suggestion  to  you  to  find  out 
if  we  could  come  to  some  arrangement  with 
Colonne.  You  suggested  him  for  "Damnation." 
I  don't  want  him  for  one  work  only.  I  want 
him  as  a  conductor,  and  am  perfectly  willing, 
if  he  is  reasonable,  to  engage  him  not  only  for 
this  but  for  three  or  four  more  seasons. 

We  speak  in  general  terms  of  the  cost  of 
opera,  and  even  then  the  figures  seen  stupendous 
to  us.  The  season  of  1906-07,  which  we  have 
found  Mr.  Conried  planning  in  the  letters  just 
quoted,  was  one  of  his  most  prosperous,  as  far 
as  door  receipts  are  concerned.  These  amounted 
to  $1,312,068.  But,  in  spite  of  the  fact  that  this 
was  an  increase  of  about  $205,000  over  1903-04, 
$27,000  over  1904-05,  and  $103,000  over  1905- 
06  [the  San  Francisco  earthquake  year],  the 
season  closed  with  a  loss  of  $84,039  because  he 
paid  back  what  had  been  destroyed  during  the 
western  trip.  The  salaries  were  heavier  than 
ever,  the  amount  paid  out  being  $689,014;  the 
orchestra  cost  more  than  ever  before — to  the 
extent  of  $113,668;  as  did  likewise  the  steam- 


220  THE    LIFE    OF    HEINRICH    CONRIED 

ship  ($30,601)  and  railroad  ($35,787)  trans- 
portation. In  addition  to  all  this,  the  Im- 
presario for  tlie  year  received  his  regular  salary 
of  $20,000.  The  total  expenditures  therefore, 
were  $1,471,822  and  the  total  receipts  from 
various  sources  of  revenue  amounted  to  $1,387,- 
783.  But,  while  1906-07  showed  a  loss  on  the 
ledgers,  the  previous  seasons  had  netted  Mr. 
Conried  profits,  to  the  following  amounts: — 
1903-04,  $60,000;  1904-05,  $126,326;  1905-06, 
$111,018. 

Contracts  with  singers  vary  as  the  years  go 
by — they  vary  according  to  the  rapidity  with 
which  a  singer  sli]>s  into  favor.  As  we  have 
said,  Mr.  Caruso  received  $2,000  a  night.  In 
general,  the  details  of  his  contract  for  1905-06 
read  as  follows: 

Forty  performances  at  7,000  francs  per  per- 
formance. The  artist  is  allowed  to  miss  four 
times,  without  effecting  his  guarantee.  Eight 
performances  per  month  or  two  performances 
per  week  guaranteed.  Never  to  sing  twice  in 
succession.  For  outside  engagements,  7,000 
francs. 

Mme.  Nordica's  terms  were  as  follows: 

Twenty  performances  guaranteed  at  $1,250, 


THE   LIFE   OF    HEINRICH    CONllIED  221 

during  seventeen  weeks.  To  sing  not  less  than 
once  nor  more  than  three  times  per  week.  If  tlie 
artist  sings  three  times  in  one  week,  the  reper- 
toire must  be  mutually  agreed  upon. 

Mme.  Sembrich's  contract  called  for  more 
details : 

One  thousand  dollars  per  performance. 
Forty-five  guaranteed,  during  twenty-two  wxeks 
(November  20  to  April  21).  To  sing  twice 
per  week,  and  during  one  Aveek  three  times.  If 
no  performances  are  given  during  Holy  Week, 
the  artist  agrees  to  sing  three  times  per  week  in 
three  different  weeks,  so  that  the  guaranteed 
number  of  forty-five  performances  will  be 
reached  in  twenty-two  weeks.  Otherwise,  each 
performance  over  and  above  two  per  week  shall 
be  regarded  as  an  extra  performance,  and  not 
included  in  the  guaranteed  forty-five  perform- 
ances. 

The  guaranteed  forty-five  shall  not  include 
more  than  four  Sunday  concerts  or  five  Satur- 
day evening  performances.  If  artist  is  com- 
pelled, in  one  of  the  weeks  during  which  she 
is  to  sing  three  times,  to  miss  one  of  the  three 
performances  through  illness,  the  performance 
thus  missed  shall  not  be  deducted  from  the  num- 
ber of   guaranteed,   but   she   agrees   to   replace 


I 


222  THE   LIFE   OF    HEINRICH    CONRIED 

said  missed  performance  on  some  other  occasion 
at  the  pleasure  of  the  company.  The  artist  re- 
serves the  right  to  sing  for  her  own  account 
at  six  outside  engagements,  provided  she  noti- 
fies the  management  at  least  one  month  in  ad- 
vance. Two  orchestra  seats  for  each  perform- 
ance in  which  she  sings. 

Mme.  Eames  was  guaranteed  nine  perform- 
ances at  $1,500  each,  and  ten  performances  in 
the  supplementary  season  at  the  same  price. 
In  the  case  of  Van  Rooy,  we  find  this  restriction 
on  his  part: 

The  artist  is  not  required  to  sing  the  follow- 
ing roles  in  succession: 

Tlie  Flying  Dutchman,  Wotan  in  "Sieg- 
fried," Hans  Sachs,  and  Telramond. 

Signor  Caruso  has  always  proven  a  gold-mine 
to  the  Impresario,  whether  Mr.  Conried  or  Mr. 
Gatti-Casazza.  It  is  only  another  indication  of 
the  far-seeing  business  acumen  of  Director  Con- 
ried that  soon  after  the  acclaim  of  the  great 
Italian  tenor,  the  Impresario  hastened  to  secure 
absolute  managerial  control  of  this  singer,  both 
in  concert  and  opera,  for  the  entire  world.  Had 
Mr.  Conried  lived,  it  is  more  than  probable 
that  his  successor,  as  manager  of  Grand  Opera 


THE    LIFE   OF    HEINRICH    CONRIEn  223 

at  the  Metropolitan,  would  have  had  to  come  to 
him  in  order  to  secure  the  services  of  Caruso. 
For  the  latter  was,  and  is,  more  than  a  mere 
paying  proposition.  His  drawing  powers  are 
exhaustless,  and  his  name  has  only  to  be  placed 
on  the  boards  to  result  in  an  enormous  increase 
in  receipts.  It  is  well  to  note  that  in  the  cut- 
rate  speculating  offices,  where  opera  tickets 
sometimes  find  their  way,  the  advertisements 
state  that  tickets  for  operas  in  which  Signor 
Caruso  appears  will  be  sold  at  full  prices! 

During  1908,  Caruso  was  taken  on  a  con- 
cert tour,  visiting  seven  cities,  and  giving  as 
many  concerts.  The  net  result  of  the  receipts 
were  $42,656,  Cleveland  paying  $8,319  for  the 
privilege  of  being  on  the  list.  Expenses,  of 
course,  have  to  be  taken  into  consideration,  and 
these  amounted  to  a  little  over  $8,300.  When 
it  is  realized  that  the  most  successful  theatrical 
production  is  "doing  good  business"  when  the 
receipts  for  the  week  are  $13,000,  it  is  clear 
that  Caruso's  position  in  the  public  regard  was 
then,  as  it  is  now,  of  exceptional  strength.  It 
may  safely  be  calculated  that  each  concert  on 
this  tour  netted  a  profit  of  over  $4,500. 

There  is  another  financial  consideration  in 
the  mad  career  of  the  Impresario.  Irrespective 
of  his  personal  expenditure  while  in  Eurojie — 


224  THE    LIFE    OF    HEINKICH    CONRIED 

in  itself  a  large  item,  and  the  bulk  of  which  is 
shouldered  by  the  comi^any  he  represents — he 
has  to  give  advances  in  salary  to  most  of  his 
singers;  and  he  likewise  has  to  pay  heavily  in 
advance  for  music  scores  and  for  costumes. 
Scenery  and  designs  have  to  be  bought;  advance 
royalties  have  to  be  arranged  and  met,  and 
agents  must  receive  their  commissions.  In  this 
way,  during  the  season  from  May  6th  to  Sep- 
tember 6th,  of  the  year  1907,  Mr.  Conried  paid 
out  in  actual  money  the  sum  of  $41,397. 

Since  Conried's  day,  conditions  at  the  Met- 
ropoltan  Opera  House  have  changed  only  in 
a  few  respects.  With  him,  it  was  customary 
to  receive  a  salary  as  Director,  but,  as  we  have 
seen,  he  was  a  heavy  stockholder  in  the  opera 
organization  which  bore  his  name,  and  this 
alone  brought  him  a  substantial  income.  To- 
day the  Director  has  no  financial  interests  in 
the  company  whatever.  Since  the  Conried 
regime,  there  have  been  no  benefit  perform- 
ances. But,  in  his  day,  coming  from  the  Ger- 
man Theatre,  where  the  custom  was  proverbial 
for  an  actor  or  manager  to  calculate  in  his 
year's  income  the  proceeds  of  a  complimentary 
performance,  he  gave  himself  each  season  a 
testimonial,  in  which  a  galaxy  of  "stars"  con- 
tributed their  talents.     The  last  one  given  to 


THE   LIFE   OF    HEINRICH    CONRIED  225 

him  was  when,  broken  in  health,  he  was  nearing 
the  end  of  his  struggle.  The  evening  netted 
him  $18,819. 

Before  Conried  and  Grau  became  Impre- 
sarios, it  was  thought  that  only  by  loss  could 
real  opera  ever  be  given  the  public.  But  these 
shrewd  business  managers  proved  the  case  to 
be  otherwise. 

As  I  write,  I  have  before  me  two  tables 
covering  the  repertoires  of  two  seasons,  and 
showing  the  profits  of  each  performance.  The 
figures  in  a  way  measure  the  popularity  of  the 
different  operas.  But  this  popularity  is  also 
dependent  on  the  make-up  of  the  casts,  show- 
ing that  the  singers  had  varying  drawing 
powers.  We  are  able  to  assert  the  popularity 
of  "Aida,"  which  never  drew  houses  amount- 
ing to  less  than  $10,500  a  performance.  "Bo- 
heme,"  "Gioconda,"  "Traviata,"  and  "Trova- 
tore"  closely  followed.  By  such  a  table,  one 
can  calculate  on  the  value  of  audiences  on  Mon- 
day and  Friday  evenings,  and  on  Saturday 
matinees.  One  can  also,  in  view  of  the  high 
salaries  and  expense  of  opera,  begin  to  realize 
how  impossible  it  is  to  give  the  best  opera  in 
the  best  manner  at  popular  prices.  On  Satur- 
day evening — the  popular  priced  night  at  the 
Metropolitan— "Aida,"    at    $6,072,    drew    the 


226  THE   LIFE    OF   HEINRICH    CONRIED 

largest  audience  in  thirty- two  weeks  of  Satur- 
days. The  influence  of  a  powerful  name  on  the 
Sunday  evening  concert  receipts  is  seen  when- 
ever Sembrich  or  Nordica  was  advertised  as 
soloist;  of  equal  value  were  Ysaye,  Hoffman, 
and  Gerardy. 

Such,  in  part,  is  what  an  Impresario  has  to 
go  through,  in  order  to  fill  his  obligations  as 
head  of  the  Metropolitan  Opera  House.  Un- 
doubtedly it  is  the  pace  that  kills!  He  is  sur- 
rounded by  fiery  temperaments,  hearing  a  babel 
of  foreign  tongues,  appeasing  the  countless  su- 
perstitions of  the  singers,  who  go  to  pieces  on 
the  slightest  provocation.  Times  change,  and 
with  them  public  favorites  give  way  to  others. 
The  present  "stars"  at  the  Metropolitan  Opera 
House  have  much  to  be  thankful  for  that  Lilli 
Lehmann,  once  such  a  brilliant  figure  in  Ger- 
man opera,  can  now  impart  practical  instruc- 
tion to  others  in  regard  to  the  human  voice. 
She  has  written  several  books  on  her  art.  There 
are  opera-goers  who  remember  when  she  shone 
supreme  in  New  York.  Jean  de  Reszke,  whose 
golden  tones  will  vie  in  memory  with  those  of 
Caruso,  also  rounds  out  his  life  in  service  to 
other  singers.  Mme.  Nordica,  just  before  her 
death,  was  anxious  to  erect,  somewhere  on  the 
Hudson,   a   conservatory   for   the   perpetuation 


THE   LIFE   OF    HEINRICH    CONRIED  227 

of  her  methods.  And  so  will  it  be  with  those 
who  now  delight  music  lovers.  Already  we  hear 
Mary  Garden  giving  advice  to  younger  singers 
than  herself;  already  we  hear  words  of  wisdom 
regarding  opera  from  Geraldine  Farrar,*  who 
makes  a  plea  for  recognition  of  the  young  singer 
in  process  of  development.  3Ime.  Farrar  right- 
ly claims  that  the  American  music  public  has 
interest  only  in  the  supreme  artist;  that  it  finds 
no  interest  in  watching  a  voice  develop  and 
grow  richer  from  year  to  year.  It  is  this  de- 
mand on  the  part  of  the  American  public  for 
opera  at  its  fullest  point  of  development  that 
makes  the  Impresario's  work  all  the  more  diffi- 
cult. He  is  given  the  job  of  looking  for  per- 
fection. He  must  secure  the  new  "stars"  abroad, 
just  at  the  time  of  their  perfect  flowering.  And 
he  must  get  them  at  all  costs!  Hammerstein 
snapped  his  fingers  at  such  a  policy.  So  did 
the  Boston  Opera  Company.  But  where  are 
they  to-day?  They  were  willing  to  take  the 
voice  in  the  making. 

No  wonder  the  Impresario  must  always  be 
on  guard,  night  and  day.  When  he  leaves  for 
Europe,  reporters  besiege  him  to  know  what 
his    intentions    are;    when   he   returns    to    New 

*Miss  Farrar  was  married,  on  February  8,  1916,  to  Mr.  Ix)u- 
Tellegen,  a  Dutch  actor,  who  was  first  seen"  in  America  as  leading 
support  for  Mme.  Bernhardt. 


228  THE    LIFE    OF    HEINKICH    CONRIED 

York,  he  issues  a  manifesto  like  a  conquering 
general.  Outwardly,  the  public  sees  him  a  man, 
happy  to  have  his  "stars"  around  him.  In- 
wardly, his  health  is  at  stake,  and  he  is  tired 
before  he  begins  the  actual  work  of  getting 
his  house  in  order  for  the  new  season. 


CHAPTER    VI 

Criticisms  against  Conried.  "Rigoletto."  "Parsifal": 
Discussion  for  and  against;  Conried's  statement.  The 
Case:  Conried  versus  the  Wagner  family.  "Parsi- 
fal"   performed. 

CONRIED  entered  into  his  Directorship 
of  the  Metropolitan  Opera  House  in  a 
blaze  of  glory,  everyone  on  all  sides 
expecting  of  him  great  innovations,  and  inter- 
ested in  his  change  of  policy.  Yet,  when  the 
first  season  was  closed,  there  was  a  decided 
expression  of  disappointment  that,  because  of 
the  drawing  power  of  Signor  Caruso,  the 
French  element  in  the  repertory,  which  had 
so  distinctively  marked  the  Grau  regime,  had 
been  materially  decreased;  while  German 
opera,  likewise,  had  given  way  because  of 
Caruso's  inability  to  sing  in  that  language. 
There  is  no  doubt  that  much  of  Mr.  Conried's 
prestige  during  that  first  season  was  height- 
ened by  the  assistance  of  Herr  Felix  Mottl, 
who  later  on,  through  clash  of  ideas,  withdrew 
from  the  Metropolitan. 

The  musical  critic  of  Tlic  Nation    (N.  Y.), 

229 


230  THE   LIFE   OF    HEINRICH    CONRIED 

in  reviewing  Herr  Conried's  first  season,  called 
attention  to  the  difficulties  he  had  in  satisfying 
the  demands  of  Philadelphia,  that  city  wanting 
opera  once  a  week,  instead  of  the  customary 
three  weeks  at  the  end  of  the  opera  season  in 
New  York.  In  explanation,  Mr.  Conried  gave 
as  his  reason  for  opposing  the  idea,  that  he 
needed  the  one  night  a  week  for  rehearsal.  But 
we  have  already  seen  how  unfair  general  criti- 
cism was  to  Mr.  Conried  in  the  instance  when 
the  papers  declared  that  he  had  not  used  suffi- 
cient persuasive  power  to  bring  over,  at  any 
price,  such  a  singer  as  Jean  de  Reszke.  It 
was  pointed  out  with  considerable  praise  to 
Conried  that  his  revival  of  Donizetti's  "Elisir 
d'Amore"  and  "Lucia  di  Lammermoor"  indi- 
cated a  possible  renaissance  of  old-fashioned 
Italian  opera. 

As  a  measure  of  critical  displeasure  against 
Mr.  Conried,  for  his  inability  to  draw  around 
him  an  adequate  number  of  stars,  Mr.  Finck 
declared  that,  during  this  first  season,  Fritzi 
Scheff  was  heading  her  own  company;  Calve 
and  Schumann-Heink  were  about  to  follow 
her  example;  while  Nordica,  Melba,  Gadski, 
and  Campanini  were  appearing  in  concert.  It 
would  seem,  therefore,  that,  however  much  the 
public  might  take  Signor  Caruso  into  its  favor, 


"'^-^^^^ 


THE   LIFE   OF   HEINRICH    CONRIED  231 

Conried's  enthusiastic  dependence  on  that  great 
tenor  brought  down  upon  his  head  much  of  the 
displeasure  which  was  shown  during  this  initial 
period  of  his  regime. 

He  opened  his  season  on  the  evening  of 
November  23,  1903,  with  "Rigoletto,"  in  order 
to  introduce  Caruso.  While  that  singer  gave 
a  vigorous  and  beautiful  performance,  he  showed 
a  certain  amount  of  nervousness  which  was 
very  apparent  to  everybody  present.  One 
would  be  surprised  if  he  had  exhibited,  on  this 
his  debut,  that  same  authority  and  spirit  which 
later  characterized  his  work.  Some  claim  that 
the  audience  still  had  Jean  de  Reszke  in  mem- 
ory, and  was  loath  to  accord  welcome  to  a 
newcomer.  But  Conried,  despite  the  lack  of 
enthusiastic  support,  despite  his  difficulty  in 
making  the  critics  show  unqualified  interest  in 
the  tenor,  went  behind  stage,  cheered  Caruso  up, 
and  signed  with  him  a  five  years'  contract.  Was 
this  to  be  regarded  as  business  foresight  or  as 
artistic  judgment? 

While  the  appearance  of  Caruso,  and  the 
increase  of  his  popularity,  did  much  to  win 
for  Mr.  Conried  a  certain  amount  of  notoriety 
as  an  Impresario,  the  importance  of  this  artistic 
acquisition  was  entirely  overclouded  by  the  gen- 
eral discussion  and  the  heated  arguments  which 


232  THE   LIFE   or   HEINRICH    CONRIED 

followed  Mr.  Conried's  announcement  that, 
during  his  season,  he  had  definitely  arranged 
to  break  through  the  traditions  of  Bayreuth, 
and  to  present,  for  the  first  time  before  an 
American  public,  the  Wagner  opera  of  "Par- 
sifal." Such  intention  on  his  part  brought 
down  upon  him  the  anathema  of  all  conserva- 
tive music-lovers,  and  Conried  found  himself 
being  discussed  on  all  hands,  from  the  pulpit, 
in  the  newspapers,  and  in  the  magazines.  Not 
only  did  the  clergy  oppose  the  presentation  of 
this  semi-religious  drama  which,  through  the 
devotion  of  its  clientele  and  through  the  pro- 
tection it  received  at  Bayreuth,  had  developed 
around  it  almost  the  same  sacred  tradition 
which  has  protected  the  Passion  Play  of  Ober- 
ammergau  through  many  centuries,  but  com- 
mittees called  upon  the  Mayor  of  New  York 
to  see  whether  he  could  not  intervene  and  keep 
the  stage  from  what  they  considered  to  be  such 
a  sacrilegious  performance. 

The  talk  which  was  created  by  Conried's  in- 
tention reached  the  Wagner  family,  and  efforts 
were  made  to  stop  all  preparations  immediately, 
while  agents  were  sent  over  to  the  Wagner 
family  to  see  whether  Herr  Siegfried  Wagner 
could  not  come  to  America  on  a  lecture  tour, 
thus  trying  to  turn  public  sympathy  entirely 


THE   LIFE  OF   HEINRICH    CONRIED  233 

against  Mr.  Conried's  efforts.*  It  was  quite 
the  subject  of  the  day,  and,  though  it  has  been 
discussed  in  various  works  on  opera,  and  in  the 
Press  of  the  time,  it  is  of  decided  interest  to 
obtain  Mr.  Conried's  own  personal  attitude 
toward  his  legal  and  moral  rights  to  present 
"Parsifal."  This  point  of  view  has  fortunately- 
been  preserved  for  us,  not  only  in  a  definite 
statement  as  to  the  relations  of  "Parsifal"  to 
religion,  but  also  in  the  legal  papers  which  were 
drawn  up  at  the  time  the  case  of  Mme.  Wagner 
against  Conried  was  brought  into  the  courts, 
and  a  decision  rendered  in  favor  of  Mr.  Con- 
ried, on  November  24,  1903,  by  Judge  La- 
combe. 

Here  is  Mr.  Conried's  statement  as  sent  out 
from  the  Metropolitan  Opera  House: 

The  hostility  of  Frau  Cosima  Wagner  and 
her  friends  to  the  New  York  production  of 
"Parsifal"  has  found  expression  in  many  ways. 
It  has  been  denounced  as  irreverent,  piratical, 

*  Consult  the  Reminiscences  of  Rudolf  Aronson.  See  Conried 
cartoon  in  Life,  August  31,  1905;  1901  (page  113).  See  James 
Huneker's  "Parsifal,  a  Mystic  Melodrama,"  in  his  volume,  "Over- 
tones," pages  64-108;  Lawrence  Oilman's  "Parsifal  and  Its  Sig- 
nificance," in  "Modern  Music,"  pages  1 53-1  fifi;  W.  J.  Flenderson's 
"Parsifalia,"  in  "Modern  Musical  Drift,"  pages  1-38.  Also  Richard 
Wagner's  "My  Life,"  2  vols.  See  All>ert  Lavignac's  "Festival 
Theatre  in  Bayreuth";  Henry  E.  Krehbiel's  "Studies  in  the  Wag- 
nerian Drama";  Henry  T.  Finck's  "Wagner  and  Mis  Work"; 
data  in  the  files  of  Mimiral  America  and  The  MiisirnI  Courier,  for 
Septembei*,  October,  November,  and  December  of  lliat  year. 


234  THE   LIFE   OF   HEINRICH   CONRIED 

and  even  as  blasphemous.  The  law  has  been 
appealed  to,  on  the  most  idle  pretexts,  to  pre- 
vent my  putting  Richard  Wagner's  last  great 
v^^ork  within  the  reach  of  American  music- 
lovers.  And  efforts  have  been  made,  directly 
and  indirectly,  to  stir  up  a  crusade  against  the 
approaching  production  and  against  myself,  on 
the  ground  that  "Parsifal"  is  a  "religious  music- 
drama,"  and  therefore  to  be  ranked  in  the  same 
category  as  the  Passion  Play,  the  performance 
of  which  has  so  far  not  been  permitted  in  New 
York. 

"Parsifal,"  however,  will  be  performed  here, 
as  I  have  already  announced,  on  the  24th  of 
December;  and  I  am  confident  that  after  hear- 
ing and  seeing  it  at  the  Metropolitan  Opera 
House,  the  most  bigoted  of  Frau  Wagner's 
American  partisans  (if  there  are  any)  will  agree 
with  me  that,  in  producing  the  work,  I  am  pay- 
ing the  highest  and  most  fitting  tribute  to  the 
memory  of  the  master  who  created  it. 

To  the  moral  ob j  ections  to  the  American  stage 
production  of  "Parsifal,"  I  have  already  replied 
in  various  statements  which  have  been  published. 
Jealousy  may  have  had  a  remote  connection  with 
the  indignation  of  my  respected  colleagues,  the 
operatic  managers  of  Germany.  They  knew 
that  they  would  have  to  wait  ten  years  before 


THE   LIFE  OF   HEINRICH    CONRIED  235 

they  could  legally  produce  "Parsifal"  [the  ojiera, 
under  the  legal  status,  was  to  be  considered 
free  in  February,  1913],  and,  not  perhaps  un- 
naturally, they  resented  the  idea  of  seeing  an 
American  get  ahead  of  them.  Be  this  as  it  may, 
my  legal  and  moral  position  in  regard  to  "Parsi- 
fal" is  absolutely  secure. 

The  attitude  of  the  Wagner  heirs,  in  the 
"Parsifal"  controversy,  I  must  say,  surprises 
me.  They  had  not  protested  on  any  of  the 
several  occasions  on  Avhich  "Parsifal"  had  been 
interpreted  here  in  concert  form;  and,  as  I 
conceived,  I  was  justified  in  taking  it  for 
granted  that  they  would  also  not  protest  against 
a  production  which  promised  to  be  worthy  of 
the  great  composer  and  his  work,  musically, 
scenically  and,  indeed,  in  every  way.  As  to 
the  proprietary  issue:  it  was  well-known  to  the 
Wagner  heirs  that  none  of  the  Wagner  music- 
dramas  had  been  legally  protected  in  America. 
I  had  once  conferred  on  the  subject  with  Dr. 
Gross,  the  legal  representative  of  the  Wagner 
heirs.  Under  the  mistaken  impression  that  the 
works  of  Wagner  could  be  effectually  protected 
in  this  country,  as  a  partner  in  the  firm  of 
Goldmark  &  Conried,  and  as  Wagner's  repre- 
sentative, I  had  myself  closed  a  contract  with 
]Mr.  Edmund  C.  Stanton,  then  Director  of  the 


236  THE   LIFE    or    HEINRICH    CONRIED 

Metropolitan  Opera  House,  which  bound  him 
to  pay  royalties  on  every  performance  of  "the 
Nibelung"  music-dramas.  When,  a  short  time 
after,  I  went  to  London,  to  my  amazement 
I  found  the  scores  of  all  Wagner's  works,  in- 
cluding the  "Ring  des  Nibelungen,"  openly 
on  sale. 

This  proved  to  me  that  there  was  no  possi- 
bility of  protecting  them  in  the  United  States. 
Immediately  after  my  return  to  New  York,  I 
called  on  Mr.  Stanton,  explained  the  situation 
to  him,  and  gave  him  back  his  signed  con- 
tract, explaining  that  I  could  not  undertake  to 
protect  Wagner's  works  here,  and  was  there- 
fore unable  to  insist  on  the  collection  of  royal- 
ties. My  then  partner.  Dr.  Leo  Goldmark, 
subsequently  had  various  negotiations  with  Mr. 
Stanton,  the  result  of  which  was  the  signing 
of  a  new  contract,  in  which  Mr.  Stanton  volun- 
tarily pledged  himself  to  pay  Wagner's  heirs 
a  certain  sum  (much  smaller  than  that  orig- 
inally stipulated)  for  each  performance  of  the 
"Nibelung"  dramas  and  "Tristan  und  Isolde." 
It  was  specifically  stated  in  this  contract  that 
those  works  could  not  be  protected  legally. 
With  all  these  facts  Frau  Cosima  Wagner  and 
Dr.  Gross  were  fully  acquainted;  and,  on  my 
visiting  Bayreuth  (to  attend  a  performance  of 


THE   LIFE  OF   IIEINRICH    CONRIED  237 

"Parsifal"),  I  was  overwhelmed  with  atten- 
tions. Frail  Wagner  herself  using  her  authority 
to  obtain  seats  for  me  and  my  friends,  who, 
but  for  her  intervention,  might  have  been  un- 
able to  secure  any.  That  was  in  the  early  days 
of  "Parsifal." 

Goldmark  and  Conried  are  the  only  persons 
in  the  United  States  through  whom  Frau  Wag- 
ner has  received  American  royalties  on  the 
works  she  owns.  I  have  explained  that,  for 
the  "Parsifal"  production,  I  also  am  willing, 
voluntarily,  to  pay  royalties.  My  offer  has 
been  rejected,  though  the  Wagners  are  well 
aware  that  anybodj^  who  so  chooses  can  pro- 
duce "Parsifal"  in  this  country  without  having 
to  apply  in  Bayreuth  for  permission  to  do  so. 

Nobody  but  myself  has  chosen  to  make  the 
venture.  Why?  Because  nobody  has  dared 
to  grapple  with  the  enormous  difficulties  that 
must  be  overcome  in  order  to  assure  the  suc- 
cess of  a  production.  It  was  only  reasonable 
to  suppose  that  the  prosj^ect  of  "Parsifal"  be- 
ing produced  in  America,  by  those  who  are 
admittedly  best  qualified  for  the  purpose,  would 
have  been  hailed  with  something  akin  to  pleas- 
ure, even  in  Bayreuth.  Notwithstanding  all 
the  invective  in  which  the  Wagner  heirs  have 
indulged  on  finding  that  their  monopoly  is  to 


238  THE   LIFE   OF   HEINRICH    CONRIED 

be  taken  from  them  in  America  sooner  than 
in  Europe,  I  am  convinced  that  when,  in  due 
course,  they  learn  how  deep  an  impression  the 
work  has  made  here,  they  will  moderate  their 
hostility.  Not,  in  any  case,  until  it  has  been 
demonstrated  that  the  New  York  production 
of  the  work  has  been  a  failure,  can  I  concede 
to  anyone  the  right  to  censure  me. 

As  to  the  religious  or  non-religious  character 
of  "Parsifal,"  I  ask  permission  to  express  my 
views  through  your  columns.  All  Americans 
are  not  familiar  with  the  master's  work.  And, 
were  I  to  remain  silent,  possibly  some  would 
be  deterred  by  respectworthy  scruples  from 
attending  the  performances  at  the  Metropolitan 
Opera  House. 

Contrary  to  the  suggestion  so  disingenuously 
published  by  my  adversaries,  "Parsifal"  is  not 
a  "religious"  drama.  Efforts  have  been  made 
in  many  directions  of  late  to  convey  the  mis- 
leading impression  that  the  hero,  Parsifal,  is 
himself  only  a  veiled  figure  of  Christ.  The 
Holy  Grail  has  been  misrepresented  as  the 
Host.  And  Kundry  has  been,  quite  gratui- 
tously, spoken  of  as  a  disguised  Mary  Mag- 
dalene. 

I  wish  to  assert  most  emphatically  that  Wag- 
ner has  introduced  no  Biblical  characters  and 


THE   l^IFE  OF    HEINRICH    CONRIED  239 

no  sacred  incidents — more  particularly,  neither 
the  Baptism  of  Christ  nor  the  Last  Supper — in 
"Parsifal."  Nor  did  the  master  call  that  work 
a  "sacred"  or  "religious"  play.  He  described 
it  as  a  "Biihnenweihfestspiel."  It  is  not  easy 
to  find  an  accurate  equivalent  in  English  for 
this  complex  word.  The  root  "weih"  in  con- 
nection with  "Biihne"  indicates  that,  through 
this  drama,  the  stage  is  to  be  "dedicated";  but 
in  an  artistic,  not  a  religious,  way.  A  striking 
analogy  may  be  seen  in  Beethoven's  Overture, 
"Zur  Weihe  des  Hauses."  The  German  word 
"Weihe"  suggests  an  exaltation  of  spirit,  with 
a  much  wider  significance  than  is  conveyed  by 
the  English  "holy,"  or  "sacred."  In  certain 
compound  words  (as,  for  instance,  in  "Kirch- 
weih"),  "weih,"  or  "weihe"  even,  concerns  pro- 
fane things,  such  as  drinking  and  dancing.  But, 
by  no  straining,  can  the  addition  of  "weih"  to 
"Biihnenfestspiel"  (anglicized  "Festival  Play") 
justify  one  in  assuming  that  Wagner  intended 
his  music-drama  to  be  accepted  as  "religious." 
The  nearest  approach  to  a  correct  (albeit 
clumsy)  translation  of  "Biihnenweihfestspiel" 
might  be  "dedicational  festival  play." 

If  those  who  have  attacked  me  for  my  pre- 
tended "impiety"  could  find  time  to  glance 
through   Wagner's    writings,    they   might    find 


240  THE   LIFE    OF   HEINRICH    CONRIED 

that  the  master  had  himself  been  reproached 
as  I  have  been.  Repelling  these  attacks,  .  .  . 
he  writes  [see  Volume  10  of  his  "Works,"  page 
297]: 

"If  our  Church  Festivals  of  to-day  are  loved 
and  remain  attractive,  thanks  to  the  so-called 
'Church  Feasts'  (named  after  them),  I  do  not 
see  how  I  could  dare  to  produce  the  mystically 
significant  Love  Feast  of  my  Knights  of  the 
Grail  before  the  public  of  to-day,  unless  I  be- 
lieved that  the  Festival-Theatre  was,  in  this 
instance,  specially  dedicated  to  the  representa- 
tion of  so  sublime  a  proceeding.  Though  I  had 
been  officially  assured  by  certain  converted  Jews 
that  oflpense  would  thereby  be  given  to  impa- 
tient Catholics,  I  had  no  need  to  make  my 
jDosition  clear  to  any  of  those  persons  who  this 
summer  assembled  at  the  production  of  my 
work." 

Wagner,  therefore,  speaks  quite  frankly  of 
the  opera  public,  and  moreover  of  a  "Festival- 
Theatre,"  that  is  to  say,  of  a  playhouse  which, 
in  a  sense,  he  was  "dedicating"  through  his 
Festival  Play.  Why  should  it  be  thought 
wrong  in  me  if,  in  the  same  sense,  I  now  wish 
to  dedicate  the  stage  of  the  Metropolitan  Op- 
era House  through  the  same  music-drama? 
Naturally,  this  dedication  must  come  first  and 
foremost  from  the  stage — that  is  to  say,  it  can 


THE   LIFE  OF    HEINRICH    CONRIED  241 

and  must  be  attained  through  tlie  production 
of  the  work.  As  to  that  production,  I  can  give 
the  assurance  that  I  shall  omit  nothing  to  bring 
the  externals  of  the  performance  in  harmony 
with  the  earnest,  solemn  action  of  the  drama. 

In  no  case  can  it  be  admitted  that  "Parsifal" 
is  anything  more  than  a — doubtless  most  earnest 
— play,  dealing  with  earthly  and  human  occur- 
rences, surely  intended  only  for  the  stage,  for 
the  boards,  and  in  no  way  destined  to  a  re- 
ligious and  devotional  temple. 

"Parsifal"  was  not  composed  to  present  the 
Lord's  Supper,  and  the  Washing  of  Feet, 
though  it  introduces  rites  which  remind  one 
of  those  symbolical  and  Christian  solemnities, 
when  and  because  they  seem  desirable  for  the 
dramatic  development  of  the  work. 

The  fundamental  idea  of  "ParsifaV  is  not 
the  glorification  of  anjj  iiarticidar  religion,  hut 
the  proclamation  of  a  higher  humanity.  The 
episodes  in  ''Parsifal"  remind  the  spectators, 
not  only  of  the  ideal  of  Christianity,  but  also 
of  the  ideals  of  Buddhism    and  Freemasonry. 

As  I  believe,  in  "Parsifal,"  Wagner  surely 
wished  to  do  no  more  than  every  other  great 
dramatist  had  aspired  to  acliieve — to  lift  up 
Humanity,  and  to  liberate  it  from  the  tram- 
mels of  the  commonplace. 


242  THE    LIFE   OF    HEINRICH    CONRIED 

"Who,  with  an  earnest  spirit  and  a  free  heart, 
can  throughout  his  life  regard  this  world,  with 
its  robbery  and  murder,  recognized  and  legal- 
ized through  falsehood,  treachery,  and  deceit, 
without  from  time  to  time  feeling  compelled 
to  turn  away  from  it  with  a  shudder  of  dis- 
gust?" 

Thus  Wagner. 

I  will  now  go  a  step  farther.  I  maintain 
that  Wagner,  if  he  were  still  living,  would,  in 
view  of  the  changed  conditions,  be  only  too 
delighted  if  a  worthy  production  of  his  last 
great  work  were  to  be  offered  to  the  immense 
constituency  of  his  American  admirers,  most 
of  whom  cannot  even  dream  of  undertaking  a 
journey  to  Bayreuth,  or  of  providing  the  cost 
for  that  journey. 

Those  who  attended  the  first  performance 
of  "Parsifal"  paid  for  their  seats,  as  is  cus- 
tomary in  any  theatre.  This  should  be  suffi- 
cient evidence,  even  in  Bayreuth,  that  they  had 
to  do  with  a  theatrical  performance  and  not 
with  a  church  service. 

What  I  intend  to  do  this  year  will  be  done 
in  the  year  1913  by  the  German,  French,  Eng- 
lish, and  Italian  opera  directors.  Abroad  it 
will  be  necessary  to  wait  until  then,  because  the 
law  so  orders  it.     And,   after  what  has  hap- 


THE    LIFE   OF    HEINRICH    CONRIEl)  243 

pened,  I  take  it  for  granted  that  protests  from 
the  Wagner  family  will  not  be  wanting  then, 
and  will  receive  just  as  little  consideration 
abroad  as  here. 

It  is  morally  inadmissible  that  a  handful  of 
people,  even  though  they  should  be  Wagner's 
heirs,  can  decide  whether  a  great,  immortal  work 
shall  be  revealed  or  denied  to  an  admiring 
world.  All  humanity  has  an  ideal  right  to  the 
creations  of  its  greatest  minds. 

I  have  reserved  for  myself  the  task  of  pre- 
paring, with  all  the  powers  at  my  disposal,  a 
production  of  "Parsifal,"  which  shall  redound 
to  the  honor  and  glory,  not  only  of  the  City  of 
New  York,  but  also  of  the  whole  country. 

Heinrich   Conried. 

In  examining  the  Bill  of  Complaint  lodged 
against  him  by  the  Wagner  family,  Mr.  Con- 
ried and  his  lawyers,  among  many  weak  spots 
found  in  that  document,  emphasized  certain 
points  that  bear  directly  on  the  history  of  "Par- 
sifal," the  main  reasons  for  their  attitude  being 
based  on  the  argument  followed  in  the  mani- 
festo of  Mr.  Conried  just  quoted.  For  ex- 
ample, it  was  claimed  by  the  defendants,  Mr. 
Conried  and  the  Conried  Metropolitan  Opera 
Company,  that  Richard  Wagner  had  financial 


244  THE    LIFE    OF    HEINRICH    CONRIED 

advantage  in  view  when  he  expressed  the  desire 
to  reserve  "Parsifal"  exclusively  for  Bayreuth, 
and,  in  evidence  of  this,  they  quoted  a  letter  of 
the  composer  to  Hans  von  Wolzogen,*  which 
read: 

"Among  the  revivals,  I  intend  that  the  next 
shall  comprise  some  exclusive  performances  of 
the  dedicatory  festival  play,  'Parsifal,'  and  this 
for  external  as  well  as  internal  reasons.  The 
external  reasons  relate  to  the  income  producing 
capacity  of  such  performances,  provided  they 
can  be  given  nowhere  else  and  only  under  my 
supervision  in  Bayreuth. "f 

It  was  also  brought  out  in  the  examination 
of  the  Bill  of  Complaint,  that  "Parsifal"  had 
been  performed  previously,  outside  of  Bayreuth, 
at  the  Royal  Opera  House  in  Munich. 

In  America,  it  was  given  for  the  first  time, 
though  without  scenery  and  costumes,  on  the 
stage  of  the  Academy  of  Music,  at  Brookljm, 
March  31,  1890,  the  late  Anton  Seidl,  Lilli 
Lehmann,  Paul  Kalisch,  Theodore  Reichmann 
and  Emil  Fischer  taking  part.  The  perform- 
ance began  at  five  o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  so 
the  evidence  runs,  and  there  was  an  intermis- 

*  See  "Works,"  Vol.  10,  p.  287. 

f  Quoted  by  the  defendants  in  a  long  document  which  traced 
the  entire  proceedings  in  the  U.  S.  Circuit  Court,  Southern  Dis- 
trict of  New  York. 


THE   LIFE  OF   HEINRICH   CONRIED  245 

sion  of  one  hour  and  a  half  after  the  first  act. 

No  protests  whatever  had  been  made  by  the 
Wagner  heirs  against  this  production,  and  over 
more  recent  performances  of  the  work,  which 
were  all  in  concert  form,  and  therefore  more  or 
less  inadequate.  The  opposition  seemed  to  be 
directed  merely  against  adequate  performance. 

To  the  statement  of  the  complainants  that, 
through  the  lifetime  of  Richard  Wagner,  and 
up  to  the  day  of  the  trial,  no  public  perform- 
ance of  "Parsifal"  had  ever  been  given  for 
review,  and  no  authorized  publication  of  the 
score  had  been  allowed,  Mr.  Conried  replied 
that,  not  only  had  he  found  an  unusually  large 
number  of  orchestra  scores  sold  outside  of  Bay- 
reuth,  but  he  himself  could  have  bought  in 
London,  for  the  price  of  £lO,  the  full  score, 
had  he  so  chosen  to  do,  without  entering  into 
any  agreement  with  the  Wagner  family. 

One  of  the  chief  arguments  put  forward  by 
the  Wagner  family  was  that  in  no  way  what- 
soever did  they  benefit  pecuniarily  from  any 
of  the  performances  of  "Parsifal,"  as  given  at 
the  Festspiel  House  in  Bayreuth,  and  that  they 
recognized  the  perfornu'ng  rights  were  a  valu- 
able asset,  Mr.  Conried  having  offered  them 
$20,000  for  the  same,  and  they  having  been  of- 
fered even  more  by  other  people. 


246  THE   LIFE   OF    HEINRICH    CONRIED 

As  one  of  the  Vice-Presidents  of  the  Conried 
Metropolitan  Opera  Company,  Mr.  Henry 
Morgenthau,  in  his  testimony,  brought  out  the 
indisputable  fact  that  Wagner  was  not  insensi- 
ble to  the  pecuniary  returns  from  the  perform- 
ances in  the  theatre  at  Bayreuth,  and  in  sub- 
stantiation of  this  belief  on  his  part,  he  quoted 
a  letter  written  by  Wagner  to  Mr.  Theodore 
Thomas,  who  had  suggested  that  Wagner  com- 
pose a  Centennial  March  for  the  Philadelphia 
Exposition.  The  communication  is  under  date 
of  December  22,  1875: 

"On  this  occasion,  too,  I  beg  to  express  my 
thanks  to  Musical-Director  Thomas  for  his  kind 
efforts  in  America  on  behalf  of  myself  and  my 
enterprises  over  there.  As  regards  his  latest 
request  to  me,  I  will  say  that  it  is  quite  possible 
that,  for  the  opening  of  the  American  national 
festival,  something  may  occur  to  me — perhaps 
in  a  broad  march-form — that  I  can  make  use 
of,  although  I  have  not  written  a  note  of  music 
for  a  long  time,  and  have  quite  got  out  of  the 
way  of  so-called  composing,  which  you  will 
easily  understand. 

"Well,  if  I  send  you  the  thing,  I  shall  expect 
in  return  that  the  Americans  will  behave  well 
toward  me,   especially  as   regards  the   further- 


THE   LIFE   OF   HEINRICH    CONRIED  247 

ance  of  my  Festival  Plays,  which  I  have  post- 
poned with  special  reference  to  them  to  the 
second  half  of  August,  at  the  cost  of  consider- 
able trouble  in  regard  to  the  singers  to  be  en- 
gaged. I  hope  soon  to  be  able  to  feel  assured 
of  the  American  visitors."  * 

In  this  roundabout  fashion,  therefore,  the 
mandates  of  Wagner's  will  were  overcome — 
mandates  which  declared  that  the  great  music- 
drama  was  to  be  given  only  at  Bayreuth.  Here- 
tofore, this  provision  had  been  complied  with 
by  the  world's  impresarios,  not  so  much  from 
sentiment  as  because  of  the  immense  difficulties 
to  be  encountered  in  its  production. 

It  is  claimed  that  Mr.  Conried,  in  one  of  his 
numerous  visits  to  Bayreuth,  had  declared  to 
Mme.  Wagner  that  some  time  somebody  was 
going  to  produce  Wagner's  festival-drama,  in- 
asmuch as  it  was  not  protected  by  copyright. 
This  somebody  happened  to  be  himself! 

While  all  these  disputes  were  going  on,  active 
preparations  for  the  actual  performance  at  the 
Metropolitan  Opera  House  were  under  way. 
Mr.  Conried  brought  over  Anton  Fuchs,  who 
had  prepared  the  music-drama  at  Munich  and 
Bayreuth,  and  he  also  engaged  Carl  Lauten- 
schlager,  who  had  prepared  the  Bayreuth  stage 

*Finck:  "Wagner  and   His  Works,"  Vol.  2,  page  50G, 


248  THE   LIFE    OF    HEINRICH    CONRIED 

for  the  stage  difficulties  imposed  by  the  oper- 
atic panorama. 

Not  only  had  the  stage  of  the  Metropolitan 
to  be  entirely  rebuilt,*  but  a  complicated  mech- 
anism had  to  be  installed,  f 

While  the  case  was  being  prepared  for  the 
courts,  Mr.  Conried  gathered  around  him  all 
of  those  people  necessary  to  the  success  of  his 
undertaking.  The  case  was  heard  on  November 
20,  1903,  before  Judge  Lacombe,  Mr.  Conried's 
defense  being  ably  directed  by  his  personal 
friend,  Judge  Dittenhoefer.  On  November 
24,  1903,  a  decision  was  rendered  in  favor  of 
Conried  and  the  Conried  Metropolitan  Opera 
House. 

The  first  performance  was  given  on  Decem- 
ber 24,  1903.  For  the  production,  Mr.  Conried 
had  engaged  Alois  Burgstaller,  the  great  Pa?'- 
sifal  of  the  Bayreuth  performance,  who  was  suf- 
ficiently brave  to  face  the  declarations  of  the 
Wagner  family  that  whosoever  took  part  in  the 
Conried  desecration  should  never  thereafter  be 
allowed  to  appear  on  the  stage  of  the  Bayreuth 
Opera  House. 

In  the  other  leading  parts  we  find  the  names 
of  Milka  Ternina,  Louise  Homer,  Robert  Blass 
and  Anton  Van  Rooy. 

*See  Scientific  American  (N.  Y.),  No.  6,  Vol.  90. 

t  See  Theatre  Magazine,  September,  1907, — article  on  Bayreuth. 


THE   LIFE   OF   HEINRICTI    CONRIED  21-0 

The  initial  performance  was  a  triumpli  for 
Mr.  Conried  and  the  artists  who  took  part. 
Besides  the  nmsic-lovers  to  whom  the  production 
was  a  seemingly  impossible  wish  come  true,  the 
one  musical  event  of  their  lives,  the  great 
curious  public  flocked  to  hear  it.  Fanny  Bloom- 
feld-Zeisler,  the  pianist,  chartered  a  special 
train  from  Chicago  for  the  performance,  and 
the  New  York  Evening  Telegram  issued  a  spec- 
cial  edition,  called  the  "Parsifal  Extra." 

Even  Mr.  Krehbiel,  loath  to  give  credit  to 
Mr.  Conried  for  anything,  was  compelled  to 
confess  the  following: 

"The  greatest  advance  disclosed  by  New  York 
over  Bayreuth  was  in  the  design  and  manipu- 
lation of  the  magical  scenes  of  the  second  act. 
Such  scenes  as  that  between  Parsifal  and  the 
Flower  Maidens  were  doubtless  in  the  imag- 
ination of  Wagner,  but  he  never  saw  their  real- 
ization. Up  to  the  time  of  which  I  am  writing, 
the  Bayreuth  pictures  were  exaggerated  and 
garish.  In  New  York  every  feature  of  tlie 
scene  was  beautiful  in  conception,  harmonious 
in  color,  graceful  in  action,  seductive  as  the 
composer  intended  it  to  be — as  alluring  to  the 
eye  as  the  music  was  fascinating  to  the  ear." 


250  THE   LIFE    OF    HEINRICH    CONRIED 

The  first  five  representations,  of  special  per- 
formances at  double  prices,  were  concluded  on 
January  21,  1904.  But  before  that  time,  Mr. 
Conried  had  announced  five  more,  besides  a 
special  matinee  on  Washington's  Birthday. 
After  the  eleventh  performance,  on  February 
25,  Mr.  Conried  gave  out  a  statement  that  the 
receipts  had  been  $186,308 — that  is,  an  average 
of  $16,937.  Twenty- four  performances  of  the 
music-drama  were  given  during  Conried's  man- 
agement, the  last  in  1906,  the  production  prov- 
ing immensely  popular  and  profitable  to  the 
Opera  Company.  It  has  remained  an  impor- 
tant feature  of  the  Metropolitan  repertory,  and 
the  Impresario  always  considers  it  his  most 
noticeable  production.  It  was  a  stupendous 
thing  for  Conried  to  do,  apart  from  the  moral 
question  involved,  and  he  accomplished  it  in  a 
most  authoritative  manner. 

It  remains  for  us  to  comment  on  the  impres- 
sion created  by  Mr.  Conried's  pronouncement 
and  actual  production  on  the  Press  and  on 
individual  writers.  We  find  the  musical  jour- 
nals rather  severe  in  their  judgment  of  him, 
and  a  little  hasty  in  their  statements  regarding 
the  stand  of  the  Wagner  family  as  to  Bayreuth 
and  "Parsifal"  itself.  Such  a  conservative 
weekly  as  The  Outlook  was  inclined  to  believe 


THE    LIFE    OF    HEINRICH    CONRlEl)  2ol 

that  "Parsifal,"  like  Shakespeare,  belongs  both 
to  its  creator  and  to  the  world.  The  writer 
claimed  that  Shakespeare,  if  he  were  living, 
would  have  both  the  legal  and  the  moral  right 
to  receive  revenue  from  every  production  of 
"Hamlet"  or  "Macbeth,"  but  he  should  have 
no  moral  right  to  limit  their  production  to 
Stratford. 

On  the  score  of  the  moral  question,  the  papers 
were  particularly  vigorous  in  their  defense  of 
the  presentation  of  "Parsifal,"  and  one  of  them, 
in  commenting  on  the  attack  of  the  Church, 
regarding  the  Metropolitan  performances,  wrote 
as  follows: 

"If  'Parsifal'  is  found  objectionable,  what 
will  become  of  'Lohengrin'?  The  Knight  of  the 
Stvan  is  the  son  of  Parsifal,  as  he  himself  con- 
fesses in  the  recital  of  his  life.  Will  he  have 
to  be  banished  from  every  stage  but  that  of 
the  Festspiel  House  in  Bayreuth?  And  if  the 
clergy  are  to  censor  the  Wagner  operas,  what 
will  become  of  the  Venusberg  scene  in  'Tann- 
hauser,'  and  the  second  act  of  'Tristan  und 
Isolde'?  And  what  will  happen  when  the  com- 
plicated domestic  ethics  of  the  'Nibelungen 
Ring'  come  into  consideration?" 


252  THE    LIFE    OF    HEINRICH    CONRIED 

So  the  dispute  went  on. 

But  however  downhearted  Conried  may  have 
been  in  regard  to  the  numberless  criticisms 
made  against  him,  and,  on  the  other  hand, 
however  exalted  he  may  have  been  on  the  night 
of  the  opening  performance  through  the  suc- 
cess he  had  made,  he  had  his  compensations 
other  than  the  financial  ones  just  quoted. 
Friends  tell  me  that  when  they  went  to  his 
little  office  on  the  evening  of  this  notable  pre- 
miere, they  found  him  with  his  head  bowed  on 
his  desk,  crying  like  a  baby.  There  was  very 
much  of  the  enthusiastic  boy  about  Mr.  Conried, 
which  had  nothing  whatever  to  do  with  the 
morals  of  the  case  or  the  ethics  of  the  produc- 
tion. His  sense  of  humor  must  have  come  to 
the  fore  when  he  received  a  letter  from  Wash- 
ington, dated  January  2,  1904,  which  ran  as 
follows : 

Dear  Mr.  Conried: 

Although  the  writer  of  this  note  is  imknown 
to  you,  you  have  proven  yourself  so  true  a 
friend  to  every  lover  of  music  that  I  cannot 
resist  the  temptation  to  thank  you  personally 
for  the  feast  of  melody  which  held  entranced 
myself  and  seven  thousand  of  my  contempo- 
raries on  Thursday  of  last  week. 


THE   LIFE   OF    HEINRICH    CONRIED  253 

I  went  over  from  Washington  to  hear  this 
stupendous  lyric  and  dramatic  wonder,  and 
from  five  o'clock  on  Christmas  eve  till  half- 
past  eleven,  I  was  nearer  Heaven  than  I  ever 
expect  to  be  again.  At  the  close  of  the  Flower 
Scene,  when  you  were  finally  prevailed  upon  to 
receive  in  person  the  plaudits  of  that  vast  as- 
semblage, after  breaking  nearly  every  bone  in 
my  fingers  in  frantic  contributions  to  the  tem- 
pest of  applause,  I  wanted  to  fly  over  the  horse- 
shoe to  the  proscenium,  and  crush  the  breath 
out  of  your  body  in  one  rapturous  embrace, 
and  I  am  wildly  jealous  of  Miss  Fannie  Bloom- 
field-Zeisler  and  her  golden  opportunity.  When 
I  run  over  to  New  York  again,  keep  yourself 
well  protected  by  a  body-guard,  for  I  shall  yet 
carry  out  my  threat,  if  a  kind  Fate  wafts  me 
within  kissable  distance  of  the  man  who,  by 
his  untiring  energ\%  patience,  perseverance, 
versatility,  and  careful  attention  to  every  detail, 
has  brought  to  a  plane  nothing  short  of  per- 
fection this  triumph  of  stagecraft,  and  won  tlie 
everlasting  gratitude  of  every  music-lover  in 
America. 

I  am  so  glad  you  have  shown  to  those  people 
on  the  other  side  that  Americans  can,  and  do, 
appreciate  what  is  highest  and  noblest  in  lyric 
art,  and  are  capable  of  distinguishing  between 


254  THE    LIFE    OF    HEINRICH    CONRIED 

a  ragtime  ditty  and  the  glorious  masterpiece 
of  a  heaven-inspired  genius.  It  arouses  in  me 
the  greatest  indignation  that  the  cynics  of  Bay- 
reuth  refuse  to  accept  the  fact  that,  even  in  a 
land  credited  with  little  more  than  the  eternal 
greed  for  dollars,  there  are  still  hearts  that  can 
throb  in  sympathy  with  the  work  of  the  great 
master,  and  thrill  with  exquisite  pain  at  its 
sublimity  and  pathos.  It  is  my  private  opinion 
that,  instead  of  the  Yankees  going  abroad,  the 
satellites  of  Bayreuth  will  be  coming  to  New 
York  to  hear  their  beloved  "Parsifal"  inter- 
preted as  it  should  be,  heretical  as  this  may 
sound  to  the  devotees  at  the  shrine  of  Frau 
Wagner. 

Had  it  been  my  good  fortune  to  attend  a 
dress-rehearsal,  I  would  have  done  my  best  to 
spare  you  some  of  those  many  anxious  hours  by 
predicting  with  absolute  confidence,  in  the  cor- 
rectness of  my  judgment,  the  brilliant  success 
which  crowned  your  labors  of  many  months, 
and  the  royal  welcome  extended  to  the  hero  of 
the  metropolis  on  December  the  24th. 

In  this  way  are  managers  sometimes  beset  by 
over-enthusiastic  admirers! 


CHAPTER    VII 

An  Impression  of  Conried.  The  seasons  of  1.001-5, 1 905-6. 
A  speech  which  raised  a  tempest.  Opera  novelties. 
Conried  and  the  Unions.  The  San  Francisco  Eartli- 
quake.  The  Opera  School.  The  National  Art  Theatre 
Movement.  Conried's  views  concerning  a  National 
Theatre.     His  connection  with  the  New  Theatre. 

MR.   CONRIED,   as   an   Impresario,   was 
now  in  the  full  swing  of  his  power.    One 
of  his  boyhood  friends,  arriving  in  Amer- 
ica, was  met  by  him  on  the  dock,  and,  in  de- 
scribing his  renewal  of  an  association  of  former 
years,  he  said: 

I  had  not  seen  Conried  for  quite  a  long  time, 
but  when  I  did  meet  him,  the  "minor  parts  of 
the  Conservatory"  had  become  the  "Director- 
ship" of  the  Metropolitan  Opera  House.  When 
he  met  me  on  the  pier  in  New  York,  he  looked 
at  me  with  the  same  youthful  eyes  of  faith  in 
his  own  destiny.  He  was  Americanized  througli 
and  through,  but  his  German  idealism  still 
shone  in  every  smile,  and  especially  when  he 
talked.  Besides,  he  had  learned  the  great  Amer- 
ican quality  of  persistence. 

255 


256  THE   LIFE   OF    HEINRICH    CONRIED 

This  feeling  of  comradeship  was  not  univer- 
sally bestowed  by  Mr.  Conried.  He  had  his 
real  friends.  He  had,  likewise,  his  friends 
whom  he  thought  it  expedient  to  cultivate.  In 
later  years  he  was  not  over-cordial  in  his  atti- 
tude toward  the  Press,  but  those  who  remember 
his  first  months  of  settlement  and  adjustment 
are  unanimous  in  declaring  that  Mr.  Conried 
alwaj^s  had  time  to  devote  to  a  talk  with  repre- 
sentatives of  the  leading  newspapers.  He  was 
always  genial  with  the  reporters,  handing  around 
his  famous  cigars,  and  giving  them  picturesque 
"copy." 

Often  he  would  be  found  in  the  writing- 
room,  reserved  in  the  Opera  House  for  the 
musical  critics,  and  at  times  he  even  went  so  far 
as  to  instruct  these  critics  in  the  intricacies  of 
the  work  at  hand.  On  the  whole,  it  may  be 
said  that  his  productions  were  received  fairly 
and  generously  by  them. 

He  used  to  narrate  the  following  incident 
which  occurred  to  him  during  the  Metropoli- 
tan's visit  to  Chicago: 

"A  very  young  reporter  kept  pestering  me 
for  an  interview.  I  told  him  I  had  arranged 
to  see  the  Press  at  five.  But  he  would  not  be 
put  off.     So  I  said: 


THE    LIFE   OF    HEINRICII    CONRIED  2.)7 

"  'If  I  give  you  an  interview,  it  will  have  to 
be  while  I  am  taking  my  bath.' 

"He  consented  eagerly,  and,  after  I  had 
turned  on  the  water,  he  began: 

"  'What  do  you  open  with?' 

"'I  open  with  "Tristan  und  Isolde,"  I  told 
him. 

"  'Ah,'  he  said,  VvTiting  busily.  'Have  they 
ever  been  here  before?'  " 

Conried's  production  of  this  music-drama  was 
especially  fine,  as  was  also  his  new  production 
of  "Die  Meistersinger,"  which,  as  put  on  by 
Anton  Fuchs,  called  forth  unparalleled  enthu- 
siasm among  Wagnerites.  This  was  during  the 
season  of  1904-05.  All  this  time,  JNIr.  Conried 
continued  to  profit  by  "Parsifal,"  although  its 
edge  was  taken  off  by  the  unlooked-for  success 
which  greeted  Henry  W.  Savage's  company, 
touring  the  country  in  an  Englisli  version  of 
the  same  opera.  The  season  was  also  distinct- 
ive for  a  rehabilitation  of  Strauss's  "Fleder- 
maus,"  which  called  down  upon  Conried  a  se- 
vere criticism  on  the  part  of  the  critics,  who 
thought  that  he  might  have  expended  his  time 
to  better  advantage  in  other  directions,  espe- 
cially as  the  revival  was  to  be  given  for  Con- 
ried's benefit,  at  which  many  "stars"  were  com- 


2o8  THE    LIFE   OF   HEINRICH    CONRIED 

pelled  to  appear,  even  though  they  had  no 
singing  parts  in  the  operetta.  It  was  during 
this  performance  that  Mr.  Conried  suddenly 
disappeared  from  Box  48,  leaving  his  wife  and 
son  alone.  A  short  while  after,  they  discov- 
ered him,  in  make-up,  stirring  the  chorus  to 
greater  effort.  Ten  minutes  later  he  was  in  his 
box  again.  In  like  manner,  during  the  next 
season,  Conried  spent  much  of  his  time  and 
energy  in  preparing  a  production  of  Strauss's 
"Der  Zigeunerbaron"  for  his  own  personal 
benefit. 

On  the  evening  of  February  9,  1904,  the 
Association  of  Theatre  Managers  of  Greater 
New  York  was  formed,  with  Mr.  Conried  as 
President,  to  hold  office  for  one  year.  On  his 
retirement  from  that  post  of  honor  he  was  pre- 
sented with  a  copy  of  Resolutions  in  praise  of 
his  conduct  of  the  office,  and  was  thereafter 
elected  a  Director.  His  efforts  as  a  member  of 
that  organization  were  mainly  involved  in  the 
settling  of  labor  questions,  and  in  reforms  for 
the  betterment  of  the  artist's  position  on  the 
stage.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Actor's  Fund, 
where  he  originated  the  ten-cent  tax  scheme, 
to  raise  money  for  erecting  an  Actor's  Hotel. 

The  first  annual  banquet  of  the  Association 
was  given  at  the  Hotel  Astor,  on  February  9, 


THE    LIFE    OF    IlEINllICH    CONRIED  2.59 

1905,*  and  among  those  present  -were  Daniel 
Frohman,  Marc  Klaw,  Charles  Burnham,  Jo- 
seph Brooks,  Bronson  Howard,  Oscar  Hammer- 
stein,  Brander  ]\Iatthews,  A.  ^I.  Palmer,  Lew 
Fields,  Timothy  Sullivan,  Sam  S.  Shubert, 
and  Percy  Williams.  Among  the  speakers  on 
that  occasion  were  President  Frank  S.  Law- 
rence, of  the  Lotus  Club,  and  Messrs.  Matthews, 
Conried  and  Howard. 

During  his  talk,  Mr.  Conried  threw  aside  all 
reserve,  thinking  himself  among  his  confreres 
and  not  subject  to  interpretation  by  the  Press. 
He,  therefore,  entered  very  specifically  into  the 
expenses  and  the  profits  of  opera  management, 
taking  special  satisfaction  in  giving  numerous 
instances  abroad,  when  his  financial  figures 
were  not  believed  by  the  impresarios  of  the  for- 
eign opera  houses.  He  meant  his  criticisms  in 
good  faith,  fully  realizing  what  he  owed  to  the 
American  millionaire  in  opera  revenue,  but  the 
Press  laid  such  stress  upon  his  attitude  that  he 
was  obliged  to  follow  his  speech  with  a  formal 
statement  a  few  days  after,  explaining  himself 
a  little  more  guardedly.  What  he  had  tried 
to  point  out  was  that  the  JNIetropolitan  re- 
ceived no  subsidy,  in  the  European  sense  of  the 

*  On  February  6,  1007,  the  Association  pave  another  banquet, 
and  diirinp  the  evening  sent  greetings  to  Mr.  CoMried,  who  was 
too  ill  to  attend. 


260  THE   LIFE    OF    IIEINRICH    CONRIED 

word;  but,  apart  from  the  income  derived  from 
the  boxholders,  depended  very  largely  for  suc- 
cess on  the  support  of  the  general  public.  Had 
Mr.  Conried  known  that  members  of  the  Press 
were  present,  he  would  not  have  thrown  his  cus- 
tomary reserve  aside  for  a  business  chat  such 
as  he  gave  to  the  assembled  guests.  He,  there- 
fore, took  occasion,  in  his  letter  to  the  public, 
which  explained  his  motives  on  the  night  of  the 
Theatrical  Managers'  dinner,  to  express  the  cor- 
dial relationship  which  existed  between  the 
Metropolitan  Opera  and  Real  Estate  Company 
and  himself,  especially  acknowledging  his  debt 
to  the  Executive  Committee,  consisting  of 
Messrs.  Haven,  Juilliard,  Mills,  and  Baker. 

Early  in  1905  there  occurred  an  accident  on 
the  Metropolitan  stage,  which  nearly  resulted 
in  a  dire  tragedy.  During  one  of  the  perform- 
ances of  "Carmen"  (January  7,  1905),  a  bridge 
broke,  precipitating  a  number  of  choristers  into 
the  depths  below.  Fortunately  no  lives  were 
lost,  although  the  affair  was  sufficiently  serious 
to  be  accounted  as  one  of  the  "events"  of  the 
opera  season. 

When  Mr.  Conried  left  on  his  annual  pil- 
grimage to  Europe  that  year,  the  papers  re- 
ferred to  him  as  the  "Baron  of  Opera."  He 
was   now   ready   for   some   of   that   stress   and 


THE    LIFE    OF    HEINRICIT    COXKIEI)  201 

strain  to  which  we  have  ah-eady  alhulcd  in  our 
description  of  the  duties  of  the  Impresario.  Dur- 
ing the  months  of  June,  July  and  August,  we 
find  him  writing  long  letters  as  usual  to  his 
"stars,"  engaging  new  ones,  and  advising  his 
singers  where  to  go,  when  to  sail,  and  what  to 
study.  He  was  husy,  during  this  trij^,  on  a 
new  production  of  "JNIanon,"  and,  as  one  of  his 
letters  indicates,  was  finding  great  difficulty 
in  securing  an  Italian  singer  who  would  be 
pretty,  and,  as  he  expressed  it,  not  fat.  He 
mentioned  one  he  had  seen,  whose  voice  was 
everj^thing  that  could  be  desired,  and  yet  who, 
because  of  her  appearance,  he  felt  sure  would 
not  be  liked  in  America. 

While  abroad,  he  made  it  a  habit  to  get  up 
early,  and  to  take  a  two  hours'  walk  before 
breakfast.  He  was  very  reserved,  and  never 
told  others  of  his  business  affairs  unless  lie  had 
to.  Though  he  wrote  many  letters,  correspond- 
ence was  a  bugbear  to  him — so  much  so,  in 
fact,  that  one  of  his  agents  cabled  him  once, 
"For  God's  sake,  answer!"  He  would  often 
make  marginal  notes  on  a  letter,  and  return  it 
to  the  writer  in  reply. 

So  engrossed  was  he  in  all  of  his  preparations, 
and  so  much  a  slave  was  he  to  tlie  work  he  had 
in  hand,  that  the  suddenness  of  liis  trip  to  Eu- 


262  THE   LIFE   OF    HEINRICH    CONRIED 

rope  deprived  him,  as  we  have  already  seen,  of  a 
Master's  Degree  which  Harvard  University 
was  anxious  to  bestow  upon  him. 

His  contracts  for  the  new  season  of  1905-6 
included  such  singers  as  Bella  Alton,  Emma 
Eames,  Nordica,  Sembrich,  Tetrazzini,  Edyth 
Walker,  Caruso,  Journet,  Conotta,  Plan^on, 
Scotti,  and  Van  Rooy.  He  was  likewise  cor- 
responding extensively  with  the  agent  of  M. 
Dalmores,  in  the  hopes  that  an  agreeable  under- 
standing could  be  reached  between  that  singer 
and  himself. 

It  was  certain,  in  all  of  his  negotiations  dur- 
ing this  summer,  that  Mr.  Conried  was  main- 
taining an  iron  grip  on  the  time  of  his  singers. 
Even  a  request  from  Miss  Farrar  to  sing  at  a 
concert,  almost  a  year  in  advance,  was  very 
emphatically  refused.  In  the  same  tone,  Mr. 
Conried  dealt  with  the  many  agents  who  had 
the  destinies  of  various  singers  in  their  hands. 
Nor  was  he  saved  minor  details;  sometimes,  in 
asking  a  singer  to  begin  practicing,  he  would 
find  out  that  there  was  no  piano  within  reach, 
and,  at  his  own  expense,  would  have  to  send 
an  instrument  to  whatever  obscure  place  the 
artist  might  be.  To  judge  by  his  different  let- 
ters, Conried  must  have  been  enjoying  a  new 


THE   LIFE    OF    HEINRICII    CONRIED  20)3 

motor  car,  for  he  is  continually  mentioning  it 
in  a  most  naive  way. 

One  of  the  first  novelties  he  gave  on  the  open- 
ing of  his  new  season  was  the  production  of 
"Hansel  und  Gretel,"  on  November  25,  190.5, 
at  which  the  composer,  Engelbert  Humper- 
dinck,  appeared  in  the  conductor's  chair.  The 
next  novelty  was  a  revival  of  Goldmark's  *'The 
Queen  of  Sheba."  * 

Of  these  two  special  productions,  it  may  be 
said  that  while  the  Goldmark  opera  has  never 
seemed  worthy  of  revival  since  then,  "Hiinsel 
und  Gretel"  entered  as  a  permanent  addition 
to  the  Metropolitan  repertory,  largely  adding 
to  its  popularity  through  the  fact  that  it  is  one 
of  the  few  operas  which,  in  music  and  story,  is 
suitable  to  the  younger  lovers  of  music. f 

It  would  seem  as  though,  in  some  directions, 
Fate  was  dealing  a  heavy  hand  against  INIr. 
Conried.  On  the  evening  of  January  13th, 
there  was  a  strike  of  the  choristers  in  the  Met- 
ropolitan Opera  House,  which  lasted  three 
days;  and  though,  on  this  special  occasion,  tlie 
audience  may  not  have  known  it,  when  there 
was  a  sudden  substitution  of  "Faust,"  they  saw 
a  performance  wherein  Mme.  Fames  and  Signor 

*  See  Krehbiel's  "Musical  Season,  1985-8fi,"  pape  55. 
{•See  "Modern  Drama  and  Opera,"  for  bibliography,  pp.  KH- 
168. 


264  THE   LIFE   OF    HEINRICH    CONRIED 

Caruso  and  all  the  rest  of  the  "stars"  helped 
to  increase  the  chorus  when  they  were  not 
needed  on  the  stage  in  their  respective  roles. 

Caruso  recalls  the  evening  with  a  special 
relish.  The  great  labor  contention  was  in  re- 
gard to  Conried's  attitude  toward  trades-union- 
ism. It  was  found,  for  example,  that  in  the 
orchestra  of  the  Metropolitan  there  were  two 
women  harpists  who  did  not  possess  cards  of 
membership  to  the  Musical  Protective  Associa- 
tion, and  when  the  matter  was  brought  to  the 
attention  of  Conried,  he  declared  that  his  was 
an  "open  shop,"  that  the  orchestra,  to  his  mind, 
did  not  come  under  the  rules  and  regulations  of 
contract-labor,  and  that  if  they  consented  so  to 
be  classed,  they  would  be  belittling  their  pro- 
fession.* No  sooner  was  the  chorus  called  out 
in  sympathetic  strike,  than  Conried  showed  his 
independence  by  gathering  around  him  a  non- 
union chorus;  those  who  had  been  in  his  employ 
probably  thought  that  it  was  proper  time  for 
them  to  demand  higher  wages.  When  the  mat- 
ter was  looked  into,  it  was  foimd  that  while  the 
Impresario  was  perfectly  willing  to  concur  with 
the  desire  of  his  chorus,  he  was  emphatically 

*  During  this  year  of  1916,  the  Actors'  Equity  Association  has 
agreed  to  pro]wse  an  affiliation  with  the  American  Federation  of 
I^abor.  The  old  fear  of  being  identified  with  the  "hod-carrier"  is 
disappearing. 


THE   IJFE    OF    HEINRICH    CONRIEl)  ^C}."} 

against  being  dictated  to  by  tlie  Union,  and  he 
presented  a  brave  front  when  the  Central  Fed- 
erated Union  threatened  to  tie  his  hands  by 
calling  a  general  strike  of  every  one  in  the 
Metropolitan  Opera  House. 

The  situation  assumed  the  proportions  of  a 
heated  battle  between  the  Impresario  and  his 
chorus.  It  seems  that  even  a  special  plea  made 
by  Mme.  Eames  to  the  women  was  of  no  avail. 
In  the  midst  of  a  performance  of  "Parsifal," 
Mr.  Conried  took  the  occasion  to  exchange 
opinions  regarding  the  situation  with  his  singers. 
The  orchestra,  under  Nahan  Franko,  remained 
loyal,  and  as  far  as  the  chorus  was  concerned, 
Mr.  Conried  reaped  the  benefit  resulting  from 
his  establishing  an  Opera  School.  He  called 
upon  the  pupils  in  the  different  classes  for  aid. 
It  was  fortunate  that  he  Avas  able  at  so  short 
a  notice  to  put  on  a  production  of  "Faust," 
which  would  have  about  it  a  certain  gala  at- 
mosphere. For,  in  it,  Mme.  Eames  made  her 
first  appearance  that  season  as  JMargucritc. 
Those  who  were  present  could  scarcely  have 
recognized  that  the  distant  chorus  in  the  Chapel 
scene  was  largelj^  the  orchestra  and  the  organ, 
while,  in  the  street  scenes,  the  soldiers  came  in 
to  the  blare  of  a  brass  band!  During  the 
evening,   the    Impresario    appeared   before    the 


266  THE   LIFE    OF    HEINRICH    CONRIED 

curtain — a  thing  he  rarely  did  in  his  whole 
career — and,  begging  the  indulgence  of  the 
audience,  proceeded  to  lay  before  them  his 
views  regarding  labor-unions  versus  art.* 

Out  of  the  chorus,  there  were  seven  members 
who  did  not  respond  to  the  call  of  the  Union. 
These  devoted  followers  of  Mr.  Conried,  even 
after  he  retired  from  active  management,  were 
loyal  in  their  adherence  to  their  Herr  Director, 
and  were  never-failing  in  their  messages  of  af- 
fection to  him. 

It  was  during  January,  1906,  that  Conried 
had  a  long  and  tedious  controversy  with  New 
York  Police  Commissioner  Bingham,  on  the 
subject  of  Sacred  Concerts,  once  more  bringing 
the  Impresario  into  court  over  a  matter  which 
had  harassed  him  while  he  was  active  manager 
of  the  Irving  Place  Theatre.  The  question  was 
argued  extensively  in  the  Press,  and  helped  to 
clear  the  public  attitude  toward  a  form  of  amuse- 
ment which  has  remained  a  regular  feature  of 
the  Metropolitan  Opera  House  season  ever  since. 

But,  however  much  Mr.  Conried  may  have 
been  sorely  tried  by  his  conflict  with  the  labor- 
unions,  he  was  on  the  eve  of  an  even  greater 
disaster — one  that  came  near  ruining  the 
financial  prospects  of  his  season.    I  refer  to  the 

*  "Strike  at  the  Opera,"  Theatre  Magazine,  February,  1906; 
Musical  Courier,  December  9,  1903,  page  21. 


^  i7h7^„(.  /!^,j^^/'^'— 


EMMA    EAMES 


THE    LIFE   OF    HEINRICH    CONRIEI)  207 

Metropolitan's    share    in    the    San    Francisco 
earthquake  disaster. 

First  of  all,  it  was  a  managerial  triumph  on 
his  part  to  carry  such  a  large  organization  as 
his  so  far  west  as  the  Coast,  and  everything 
bid  fair  to  be  a  most  triumplial  march  across 
the  Continent.  In  fact,  the  feat  was  actually 
accomplished,  and  the  Opera  opened  in  San 
Francisco,  at  the  Grand  Opera  House,  on  JNIon- 
day,  April  16,  1906.  The  great  tragedy  took 
place  two  daj^s  after;  all  scenery  was  destroyed, 
but  fortunately  the  singers  escaped  imscathed. 
"The  Queen  of  Sheba"  was  given  on  INIonday, 
"Carmen"  on  Tuesday,  and  on  Wednesday 
afternoon  the  "^larriage  de  Figaro"  was  to 
have  been  sung,  with  "Lohengrin"  as  the  even- 
ing production.  It  is  said  that  the  two  per- 
formances actually  given  drew  $20,000,  and 
there  was  an  advance  sale  for  the  fourteen 
performances  of  $120,000.  Practically  the 
whole  of  the  company,  representing  a  great 
galaxy  of  "stars,"  was  in  the  city  at  the  time. 
Sembrich  lost  her  entire  wardrobe,  valued  at 
$20,000,  and  the  scenery,  stage  sets,  musical 
instruments,  and  costumes,  went  up  in  flames 
at  a  loss  to  the  organization  of  $150,000.  One 
can  imagine  Mme.  Fremstad  in  the  wreck  of 
the   St.  Dunstan  Hotel,   helping  the   wounded 


268  THE    LIFE    OF    HEINRICH    CONRIED 

and  the  dying.  One  can  see  the  humor  as 
brought  out  both  in  pictures  and  in  interviews 
by  Caruso,*  in  the  descriptions  of  his  plight,  as 
he  sat  in  the  middle  of  the  street,  astride  his 
valise — all  that  he  was  able  to  save  at  a  mo- 
ment's notice.  For  three  days  no  news  could 
be  obtained  as  to  the  safety  of  the  "stars,"  and 
during  that  time  the  Metropolitan  Opera  House 
was  besieged  by  inquiring  friends.  After  many 
hardships,  the  company  reached  New  York, 
April  24,  1906,  and  united  in  a  monster  benefit 
for  the  San  Francisco  sufferers,  which  took 
place  on  May  4,  1906. 

During  the  summer  of  this  year,  Conried, 
with  his  secretary.  Miss  F.  Hoops,  had  their 
headquarters  at  Bad  Gastein,  and  it  was  here 
that  most  of  the  preparations  for  the  season 
to  follow  took  place. 

During  all  the  activity  on  his  part,  there  was 
only  a  little  time  for  the  Impresario  to  devote 
to  other  matters  which  might  demand  his  care 
and  attention.  In  fact,  we  hear  that,  in  1906, 
so  overburdened  was  Conried  with  work,  that 
he  did  not  have  leisure  to  devote  to  the  Metro- 
politan Opera  School,  which  he  was  so  instru- 
mental in  developing  when  he  became  Director 
of  the  affairs  of  the  Opera  House. 

*  Caruso  on  the  Earthquake,  Theatre  Magazine,  Julj^  1906, 
with   Cartoons. 


THE    LIFE    OF    HEINRICII    CONRIED  269 

It  was  in  January,  1906,  that  Professor  A. 
Remy,  of  Columbia  University,  joined  the  staff 
of  the  JNIetropolitan  Opera  School  in  the  ca- 
pacity of  teacher  of  German,  and  it  is  his 
conviction  now  that,  had  Mr.  Conried's  health 
not  broken,  this  school  would  at  present  be  one 
of  the  great  musical  influences  in  the  country. 
Mme.  Jaeger  was  the  singing  teacher,  M.  Petri 
had  charge  of  the  Italian,  and  Mr.  Lester  had 
charge  of  sight-singing. 

Founded  in  1903,  the  School  existed  until 
1908,  when  it  was  given  up.  But  Mr.  Dippel, 
v/hen  he  assumed  charge  of  the  Metropolitan 
during  an  interregnum,  established  a  chorus 
school  somewhat  on  the  same  order.  Dr.  Remy 
declares  that  Mr.  Conried  believed  strongly  in 
cultural  centres  and  forces,  and  spent  much 
money  in  matters  which  he  was  assured,  in  his 
own  mind,  would  never  reap  him  any  consid- 
erable financial  return.  He  would  often  give 
receptions  for  the  Opera  School  in  the  lobby 
of  the  Opera  House,  when  scenes  from  the 
operas  would  be  enacted  by  some  of  the  seventy 
or  eighty  j)upils,  who  were  usually  entered  in 
the  class.  At  one  time,  even,  Mr.  Conried 
went  to  the  great  trouble  of  giving  special  per- 
formances of  the  Conried  Metropolitan  School 
of  Opera,  at  the  Irving  Place  Theatre,  where 


270  THE   LIFE    OF   HEINRICH    CONRIED 

the  expenses  were  far  in  excess  of  what  might 
have  been  expected — this  excess  being  willingly 
shouldered  by  himself.* 

It  was  during  the  year  1905-6  that  the  Rep- 
ertory Theatre  idea  was  again  agitated,  with  a 
tremendous  amount  of  enthusiasm,  the  public 
attention  being  somewhat  ready  for  the  dis- 
cussion, inasmuch  as  there  had  previously  been 
in  existence  an  organization  calling  itself  "The 
National  Art  Theatre  Society,"  under  the 
kindly  direction  of  Mr.  J.  I.  C.  Clarke — an 
organization  which  brought  before  the  atten- 
tion of  the  theatregoing  population  of  New 
York  the  lack  of  any  organized  support  for  an 
Art  Theatre  in  this  country,  f 

*  Dr.  Remy,  speaking  of  Conried's  association  with  Columbia 
University,  calls  attention  to  the  fact  that  he  was  an  Honorary 
Member  of  the  Columbia  Deutscher  Verein,  making  a  number  of 
addresses  before  that  organization.  In  April  or  May,  1905,  he 
celebrated  with  Columbia  in  honor  of  Schiller,  on  that  occasion 
■declaiming.  See  account  of  the  Schiller  Centenary,  May  9,  1905, 
at  Columbia,  by  Professor  Rudolf  Tombo,  Jr.,  in  The  Columbia 
Quarterly,  September,  1905.  Professor  Remy  reenforces  Professor 
Carpenter's  statement  that  Conried  gave  a  series  of  lectures  on 
German  dramatists  at  the  Irving  Place  Theatre,  circa  1901-2,  him- 
self hearing  the  discourse  on  Schiller. 

t  In  a  souvenir  booklet,  issued  by  the  New  Theatre  for  itis 
opening  on  Saturday  afternoon,  November  6,  1909,  we  find  a  very 
succinct  review  of  the  purposes  and  plans  of  the  institution;  like- 
wise an  account  of  its  origins  in  1891.  Mr.  H.  B.  McDowell 
founded  the  "Theatre  of  Arts  and  Letters,"  which  produced,  among 
its  very  few  successes,  a  one-act  play  by  the  late  Clyde  Fitch. 
In  1897,  the  Criterion  Ma(jazine,  edited  by  Mr.  J.  I.  C.  Clarke, 
provided  the  funds  for  producing  a  series  of  plays.  Mr.  Charles 
Henry  Meltzer  was  associated  with  the  move.  Mr.  John  Blair 
was  one  of  the  actors.  In  1899,  Mr.  Emanuel  Reicher  came  from 
Berlin  and  produced  "Ghosts,"  the  immediate  result  of  this  per- 


THE   LIFE   OF   HEINRICH    CONRIED  271 

Conried  was  evidently  approaclied  by  ^Ir. 
Barney  in  regard  to  the  possibilities  of  erecting 
a  theatre  devoted  to  a  repertory,  and  it  was 
this  beginning  which  eventually  resulted  in  Mr. 
Conried's  becoming  the  first  General  Adminis- 
trator, through  placing  in  his  hands  the  respon- 
sibility, not  only  of  selecting  a  site  for  such  an 
institution,  but  of  preparing  the  physical  pro- 
portions of  the  building  itself.  Upon  his  foun- 
dations, both  actual  and  intellectual,  the  New 
Theatre,  on  Central  Park  West,  was  raised  in 
after  years.  Whatever  preparations  Mr.  Con- 
ried may  have  made  in  decisions  regarding  the 
plans  of  the  building,  there  is  no  doubt  that  his 
ambitions  as  an  Impresario,  and  his  far-seeing 
calculations  in  regard  to  himself,  made  the  New 
Theatre  building  much  larger  than  it  should 
have  been  for  the  ordinary  purposes  of  a  reper- 
tory organization.  However  that  may  be,  from 
the  time  this  agitation  began  until,  through  ill 
health,  Mr.  Conried  was  obliged  to  relinquisli 
immediate  control  of  affairs,  he  was  ever  ready 

formance  being  a  series  of  lectures  on  modern  plays.  Mr.  William 
Archer  at  this  time  also  visited  America,  and  exi)loited  the  idea 
of  a  National  Theatre.  In  1901.,  Mr.  J.  I.  C.  Clarke  founded  the 
"National  Art  Theatre  Society."  In  October,  lOOC,  a  "New 
Theatre"  was  begun  in  Chicago,  under  the  directorship  of  Mr. 
Victor  Mapes.  During  their  repertorj'  of  French,  English,  and 
American  plavs,  they  produced  "El  Gran  Galeoto"  and  Ilaupt- 
mann's  "Elga."  All  this  time  New  York  had  had  the  opportunity 
of  viewing  Mr.  Conried's  eiforts  at  the  Irving  Place  Theatre. 


272  THE   LIFE    OF   HEINRICH    CONRIED 

to  discuss  the  scope  of  such  a  theatre,  his  ideal- 
ism and  his  enthusiasm  serving  him  in  good 
stead.  Among  his  papers  I  find  a  discussion  of 
the  New  Theatre,  under  his  signature,  which  is 
of  especial  interest,  as  reflecting,  not  only  what 
he  had  learned  himself  from  the  success  of  his 
Irving  Place  Theatre,  but  what  he  had  drawn 
from  the  policies  of  the  theatres  on  the  other 
side,  during  his  numberless  visits  abroad.  He 
wrote : 

The  need  of  a  great,  model  playhouse  in  this 
country,  similar — so  far  as  local  conditions  may 
allow — to  such  world-famous  theatres  as  the 
Comedie  Fran9aise,  of  Paris,  and  the  Burg 
Theater,  of  Vienna,  has  long  been  evident. 

On  landing  in  New  York,  a  stranger,  thirty 
years  ago,  one  of  the  first  things  I  observed, 
with  much  surprise,  was  the  absence  here  of  even 
one  subsidized  or  artistic  theatre,  such  as  existed 
in  every  capital  and  in  many  less  important 
cities  of  Continental  Europe. 

In  my  own  Fatherland,  and  in  every  part  of 
the  Continent,  I  had  been  accustomed  to  seeing 
the  Stage  acknowledged  and  respected,  side  by 
side  with  the  Church  and  the  School,  as  an  up- 
lifting, civilizing,  and  educational  influence. 
Here,  to  my  amazement,  I  found  that  it  was 


THE   LIFE   OF    HEINRICH    CONRIED  273 

regarded  merely  as  a  means  of  entertainment 
and  amusement.  To  speak  of  the  "mission"  of 
the  Stage — of  its  uses  as  an  improver  of  morals 
or  a  reformer  of  manners — was  to  invite  ridi- 
cule. There  are  still  many,  even  now,  and  in 
this  city,  who  are  sceptical  as  to  the  true  value 
and  usefulness  of  the  stage. 

Before  long,  however,  it  became  one  of  my 
most  cherished  dreams  that  I  might,  some  day, 
find  it  possible  to  promote  the  foundation  of  an 
artistic  theatre  in  the  new  land  which  I  had 
made  my  home. 

At  first,  I  had  to  content  myself  with  dream- 
ing. Later,  after  I  had  grown  familiar  with 
American  habits  and  American  thought,  I  be- 
came convinced  that  the  realization  of  my  hopes 
was  not  only  desirable,  but  also  possible,  and 
that  the  organization  of  an  institution,  com- 
parable to  the  National-  or  State-aided  theatres 
of  Europe,  could  be  effected,  even  witliout  sub- 
sidization, in  the  usual  sense  of  the  word,  with 
both  artistic  and  financial  success. 

For  fifteen  years  or  more,  whenever  the  oc- 
casion offered,  I  lectured  in  the  American 
universities  on  the  need  of  a  National  Theatre 
in  this  country. 

I  pointed  out  that,  if  founded  and  organ- 
ized according  to  my  suggestions,  it  could  in  a 


271  THE   LIFE    OF    HEINRICH    CONRIED 

short  time  be  made  to  support  itself.  In  order 
to  assure  the  establishment  and  prosperity  of 
such  a  playhouse,  it  was  essential,  in  the  first 
place,  that  an  appropriate,  dignified,  and  hand- 
some building  should  be  erected  and  equipped 
with  a  stock  (or,  as  they  say  in  Germany,  a 
fundus)  of  costumes,  scenery,  and  "properties," 
sufficient  to  allow  of  the  artistic  productions  of, 
say,  ten  or  fifteen  standard  plays. 

The  theatre  would  have  to  be  built  on  the 
most  careful  plan,  advantage  being  taken  both 
in  the  designing  of  the  auditorium  and  in  the 
construction  of  the  stage,  workshops  and  store- 
houses, of  the  most  admirable  examples  of  the 
most  modern  playhouses  of  Europe  and  Amer- 
ica. Comfort,  safety,  and  the  pleasure  of  the 
audience  in  the  "front"  of  the  house,  besides 
safety,  mechanical  j)erfection,  and  the  promotion 
of  theatrical  illusion  behind  the  curtain,  would 
all  have  to  be  considered.  The  proportions  of 
the  stage  and  of  the  auditorium  would  be  deter- 
mined by  the  purposes  of  the  productions.  For 
practical  reasons,  the  auditorium  would  have  to 
be  large  enough  to  seat  as  many  persons  as 
could  plainly  see  and  hear  the  actors — and  no 
larger. 

Spacious  stairways,  lounges,  promenades, 
^nd    other    adjuncts    of    the    great    European 


THE   LIFE   OF    HEINRICH    CONRIKI)  27.) 

playhouses,  were  not  to  be  omitted  from  the 
ideal  theatre. 

In  many  informal  talks,  as  in  more  formal 
addresses,  I  expressed  my  belief  that  a  National 
Theatre  would  be  welcomed  here,  not  only  by 
all  who  were  professionally  interested  in  educa- 
tion, but  also  by  all  parents  who  had  the  edu- 
cation of  their  children  at  heart. 

I  also  showed  that  the  projected  playhouse 
would  be  accepted  as  the  standard  with  regard 
to  the  pronunciation  of  English  and  foreign 
words,  costuming,  scenery,  arch£eologj%  and 
manners. 

From  the  very  outset,  and  before  the  opening 
of  the  institution  which  I  had  in  my  mind,  it 
would  be  indispensable  that  the  community  at 
large,  and  playgoers  in  particular,  should  have 
the  certainty  that  whatever  they  might  hear  or 
see  in  the  National  Theatre,  would  be  absolutely 
as  it  should  be. 

To  make  this  possible,  I  suggested  the  forma- 
tion of  committees,  recruited  from  among  the 
authorities  and  specialists  of  the  world,  includ- 
ing professors  of  universities,  critics,  painters, 
sculptors,  and  others,  whose  mission  it  would  be 
to  assist  the  Director  of  the  theatre  by  deciding 
vexed  questions  as  to  pronunciation  and  empha- 


276  THE   LIFE   OF    HEINRICH    CONRIED 

sis,  manners,  costuming,  and  so  forth,  and  who 
would  act  in  an  advisory  capacity. 

I  laid  stress  on  the  importance,  and  indeed 
necessity,  of  vesting  the  supreme  and  final  re- 
sponsibility of  management  in  the  hands  of  one 
man,  guided  by  the  recommendations  of  the 
executive  committees. 

Then,  turning  to  the  vital  question  of  the 
principles  which  should  be  adopted  in  the  com- 
position of  the  repertory,  I  suggested  that  the 
first  aim  of  an  educational  theatre  should  be  to 
make  our  playgoers  familiar  with  the  most  fa- 
mous standard  plays  of  all  times  and  nations, 
from  the  tragedies  of  ancient  Greece  to  the 
dramas  and  comedies  of  the  golden  ages  of 
Spain,  France,  England,  Italy  and  Germany, 
and  so  on  to  the  great  works  of  our  own  day,  no 
matter  whether  they  might  be  due  to  the  genius 
of  Norwegians,  or  Germans,  or  Americans. 

By  the  production  of  the  best  standard  works 
of  the  whole  world,  in  my  belief,  a  taste  would 
be  improved,  the  invention  of  American  writers 
would  be  stimulated,  and  before  long  an  Amer- 
ican drama,  in  the  high  sense  of  the  word, 
would  be  called  into  existence — plays  would 
be  invented  which,  besides  being  representative 
of  the  national  life  and  character,  would  have 
permanent  literary  value. 


THE   LIFE   OF   HEINRICH   CONRIED  277 

Here,  as  in  the  countries  of  the  Old  World, 
one  great  object  of  a  National  Theatre  would 
be  the  creation  and  interpretation  of  a  national 
drama. 

I  proposed  to  build  up  a  repertory  which 
should  include  Sophocles  and  Calderon,  Molicre 
and  Shakespeare,  Goethe  and  Schiller,  Sheridan 
and  perhaps  Ibsen,  Maeterlinck,  Sudermann, 
and  Hauptmann. 

Once  the  National  Theatre  * — that  is  to  say, 
the  building — had  been  erected  and  properly 
equipped,  I  estimated  that  it  would  take  five 
years  to  comj^ose  a  repertory  which  would  make 
it  possible  to  vary  the  programmes  every 
evening. 

Long  runs — the  curse  of  the  American  stage 
— would  be  abolished. 

Assuming  that  the  annual  season  would  last 
thirty  weeks,  say,  from  October  till  May,  I 
suggested  that  ten  plays,  of  permanent  literary 
and  dramatic  value,  should  be  produced  in  the 
first  year. 

The  actors  in  the  National  Theatre  company 
would  be  engaged,  at  the  outset,  for  periods  of 
from  three  to  five  years.  It  would  thus  be 
possible  each  season  to  add  ten  plays  to  the 
repertory.     On  the  conclusion  of  the  fifth  sea- 

*  It  had  not  been  renamed  the  "New  Theatre." 


278  THE   LIFE   OF    HEINRICH    CONRIED 

son  there  would  be  fifty  standard  plays  to  draw 
upon,  while,  if  it  became  desirable,  the  bills 
could  be  varied  from  night  to  night  indefinitely. 

To  quicken  the  activities  of  American  drama- 
tists, I  advised  that  a  prize  should  be  offered 
for  the  best  play,  of  literary  merit  and  dramatic 
significance,  by  an  American.  A  committee 
would  select  three  or  more  of  the  most  hope- 
ful works  sent  in.  Special  performances  of  all 
these  would  then  be  given,  and  the  one  which 
seemed  to  the  committee  most  worthy  would 
receive  the  prize.  The  committee  would  decide 
whether  the  winning  play  should  or  should  not 
be  added  to  the  permanent  repertory. 

The  composition  of  the  company,  not  the 
last  of  the  difficulties  incident  to  the  scheme, 
would  be  left  entirely  to  the  Director  of  the 
theatre.  His  aim  would  be  to  organize  a  body 
of  intelligent  and  accomplished  players,  capable 
of  assuming  many  different  parts,  and  working 
unselfishly  for  the  general  good,  the  honest  and 
artistic  interpretation  of  the  play,  and  the 
pleasure  of  the  audience.  Anything  that  re- 
minded one  of  the  "star"  system  was  to  be 
discountenanced,  and  the  honor  of  forming 
part  of  the  National  Theatre  Company  was  to 
be  set  higher  than  mere  notoriety  or  ephemeral 
prominence. 


THE   LIFE    OF    HEINRICH    CONRIED  279 

The  actors  would  not  be  required  to  travel; 
and,  gradually,  those  of  them  who  remained  in 
the  company  would  be  admitted  to  the  benefits 
of  a  Pension  Fund.  Thanks  to  these  induce- 
ments and  to  the  prestige  which  would  be 
gained  by  appearing  in  the  projected  theatre, 
I  had  no  doubt  whatever  that  an  admirable 
aggregation  of  actors  would  be  formed. 

A  School  of  Acting  was,  in  my  scheme,  to 
be  the  logical  complement  of  the  theatre. 

Lastly — and  this  point  caused  me  a  great 
deal  of  anxious  thought — I  suggested  a  way  by 
which  theatregoers,  even  with  modest  resources 
at  their  disposal,  might  be  enabled  to  enjoy  the 
educational  advantages  offered  by  the  National 
Theatre,  and,  by  steadily  supporting  it,  help 
to  perpetuate  its  prosperity. 

Ten  new  plays,  as  has  already  been  stated, 
would  be  produced  each  year — one  every  three 
weeks.  I  proposed  that  subscribers  should  be 
allowed  to  reserve  an  entire  box  for  one  per- 
formance of  each  novelty  (in  all,  ten  perform- 
ances), for  $250.00.  Orchestra  seats,  also  for 
one  performance  of  each  novelty,  would  be 
obtainable  for  $25.00  ($2.50  for  one  perform- 
ance every  three  weeks).  Other  seats,  in  tlie 
balconies  and  gallery,  or  family  circle,  would  be 
obtainable,  by  subscription,   for   sums  ranging 


280  THE   LIFE   OF   HEINRICH    CONRIED 

from  $2.50  to  $5.00,  $7.50,  $10.00,  $15.00, 
$20.00,  and  $25.00  for  the  series  of  ten  per- 
formances. That  is  to  say,  for  an  outlay  of 
from  twenty-five  cents  to  $2.50  per  perform- 
ance, it  would  be  possible  to  enjoy  the  entire 
repertor}^  and  become  acquainted  with  the  dra- 
matic literature  of  the  Avhole  world. 

I  am  as  certain  now  as  I  was  long  years  ago 
that  the  plan  which  I  have  outlined  is  reasonable 
and  practicable. 

There  are  countless  actors  of  intelligence  in 
America  and  in  England  waiting  to  be  discov- 
ered and  moulded  into  artists.  There  are  many 
American  and  English  writers,  of  great  natu- 
ral gifts,  hungering  for  the  opportunity  of 
proving  that  they  have  dramatic  as  well  as 
literary  ability. 

The  interest  of  the  American  public  in  drama 
is  insatiable.  It  needs  only  guiding  to  be  di- 
verted from  the  trivialities  of  the  moment  to 
more  serious  and  uplifting  objects. 

It  matters  little  whether  the  playhouse  of 
which  I  dreamed  long  years  ago  be  known  as 
the  "National"  or  as  the  "New"  Theatre.  What 
matters  is  that  it  should  be  built  and  used  for 
the  promotion  of  taste  and  the  refinement  of 
manners. 

It  should  be,  not  merely  a  place  of  amuse- 


THE    LIFE    OF    HEINRICH    CONRIED  281 

ment,  but,  also  and  chiefly,  an  educational  in- 
stitution. 

In  his  various  lectures  upon  the  art  of  the 
theatre,  Conried  constantly  advocated  such  an 
endowed  institution.  He  published  a  sheet  on 
the  subject,  in  which  he  reinforced  his  argu- 
ment in  the  following  way: 

Our  schools  [he  said]  are  supported  by  pub- 
lic taxation — our  universities  by  the  munifi- 
cence and  the  philanthropy  of  our  high-finance. 
Our  libraries  we  owe,  partly  to  the  bequests 
of  whole  estates,  and  largely  to  the  liberality 
of  one  multi-millionaire,  who  has  also  spent 
money  freely  in  the  cause  of  scientific  research. 
As  for  our  churches,  they  are  generously  pro- 
vided for  by  myriads  of  open-handed  believers. 
But  our  dramatic  art,  less  fortunate,  has  had  to 
struggle  against  fearful  odds,  and  has  been 
abandoned  to  commercial  enterprise. 

How  can  this  anomaly  be  remedied?  How 
can  we  reform  a  state  of  things  which  allows 
one,  and  perhaps  the  most  popular  of  the  arts, 
to  languish  in  neglect?  In  one  way,  and,  I 
feel,  in  one  way  only.  By  the  foundation  of  a 
National  Theatre. 

Education  is  a  matter  of  public  interest,  and 
should  therefore  not  be  left  to   the  mercy  of 


282  THE    LIFE   OF    HEINKICH    CONRIED 

commercial  enterprise.  For  good  or  evil,  the 
stage  is  a  great  public  force.  At  its  best  it  is 
as  surely  a  public  educator  as  the  pulpit  or  the 
school.  The  citizens  of  Athens  knew  this  truth 
more  than  two  thousand  years  ago.  Among 
their  rights,  and  their  most  cherished  rights, 
they  had  free  admission  to  the  public  theatre. 
The  citizens  of  Norway,  Hungary,  Portugal, 
Servia,  Spain,  and  even  so  obscure  a  country 
as  poor  little  modern  Greece,  insist  on  the 
maintenance  of  a  National  Theatre.  As  for 
the  French,  they  boast  of  their  great  Theatre 
Franc^ais,  while  the  German-speaking  nations 
point  with  pride  to  the  existence  of  that  tem- 
ple of  their  drama,  the  world-famous  Burg 
Theater. 

Before  the  stage  can  take  its  right  place  in 
this  country — before  it  can  hope  to  fulfil  its 
mission  as  a  refining  and  an  educating  influ- 
ence— the  civic  consciousness  of  the  American 
people  must  be  awakened  to  its  power  and  use- 
fulness. The  American  people  must  dignify  it 
with  its  sanction  and  endorsement.  The  public 
recognition  of  the  stage  would  mean  the  up- 
lifting of  dramatic  taste,  and,  as  aesthetics  are 
closely  akin  to  ethics,  this,  we  may  be  confident, 
would,  in  the  natural  course  of  things,  lead 
to  the  improvement  of  public  morals. 


THE   LIFE   OF    HEINRICH    CONRIED  283 

The  drama  of  the  world  comprises  a  com- 
plete representation  of  human  motives.  But 
no  single  play,  good,  bad,  or  mediocre,  can 
more  than  partially  and  imperfectly  reveal  mo- 
tives or  portray  character.  A  theatre  which  is 
compelled  by  financial  considerations  to  present 
the  same  play,  night  after  night,  for  perhaps 
many  weeks  or  months,  cannot  be  regarded 
serioush^  as  an  educator.  A  changing  reper- 
tory is  absolutely  essential  to  the  educational 
mission  of  the  stage.  Give  us  a  National  Thea- 
tre, and  we  shall  be  able  to  play  upon  the 
whole  register  of  human  passions,  to  lash  all 
conceivable  follies,  and  to  kindle  all  emotions 
that  make  for  the  ennobling  of  the  collective 
soul  of  the  people. 

The  American  Shakespeare,  who  is  to  raise 
dramatic  monuments  to  our  national  heroes,  is 
still  unborn,  or,  if  living,  lives  in  obscurity, 
barred  from  the  stage,  which  either  cannot  or 
will  not  recognize  him.  Give  us  a  National 
Theatre,  and,  soon  or  late,  we  shall  have  our 
American  Shakesj)eare. 

Through  the  continual  presentation  of  the 
standard  plays  of  all  nations,  in  as  nearly 
perfect  a  manner  as  possible,  a  National  Thea- 
tre would  raise  public  taste — it  would  encourage 
the  cultivation  of  higher   ideals — it   would   lift 


284  THE    LIFE    OF    HEINRICH    CONRIED 

the  art  of  acting  in  this  country  to  a  position 
of  excellence,  and,  in  all  probability,  lead  to 
the  creation  of  an  American  dramatic  literature. 

The  public  is  like  a  little  child.  It  can  be 
taught — it  can  be  led  and  educated.  The  Na- 
tional Theatre  would  be  a  standard  for  the 
pronunciation  of  English  words.  True,  we 
already  have  this  standard.  But  how  many 
teachers  in  our  schools — be  they  public  or  high 
schools,  colleges  or  universities — how  many  ac- 
tors on  our  stage,  how  many  of  our  repre- 
sentatives in  Congress — pronounce  English  cor- 
rectly? In  our  leading  theatres,  one  and  the 
same  word  in  one  play  is,  as  we  know,  often 
pronounced  differently  by  different  actors.  In 
a  National  Theatre  this  would  be  an  impossibil- 
ity. The  pronunciation  would  be  absolutely 
and  undeniably  correct,  would  never  be  deviated 
from,  and  would  be  accepted  by  all  actors 
throughout  the  United  States — nay,  by  society 
itself — as  authoritative.  The  great  art  of  dic- 
tion, in  a  broad  sense,  would  also  be  fostered, 
till  it  at  last  approached  perfection. 

The  National  Theatre,  moreover,  would  be 
the  standard  of  correctness  in  matters  of  cos- 
tume, scenery  and  manners.  It  would,  indeed, 
become  the   standard   for   a   hundred   and   one 


THE   LIFE   OF    HEINRICH    CONRIED  285 

things  for  which  there  is  not,  and  never  yet  has 
been,  a  standard. 

A  National  Theatre  with  a  constantly  chang- 
ing repertory  cannot  be  established  in  one  year. 
To  do  what  the  Theatre  rran9ais  of  Paris  and 
the  Burg  Theater  of  Vienna  do — that  is,  to 
change  the  bill  nearly  every  night,  and  certainly 
not  less  than  three  times  a  week — we  need  not 
less  than  six  years.  After  six  years  the  reper- 
tory would  include  not  only  the  world's  classics 
— Shakespeare,  Moliere,  Goethe,  Schiller,  Sheri- 
dan, Bulwer  Lytton — but  also  plays  by  the 
best  modern  authors — by  Ibsen  and  Haupt- 
mann,  Sudermann  and  Sardou,  D'Annunzio 
and  Tolstoi,  and  even  the  light  comedies  of 
men  like  Pinero,  Bronson  Howard,  Henry 
Arthur  Jones,  and  Augustus  Thomas.  Amer- 
ican authors  would  have  a  generous  hearing  in 
the  national  playhouse.  The  objection  that  na- 
tive authors  would  prefer  the  long  runs  and 
large  profits  offered  by  the  ordinary  theatres  to 
the  short  run  necessarily  given  each  play  by  a 
National  Theatre,  is  not  sound;  for  it  would 
become  a  matter  of  pride  with  American  au- 
thors to  have  their  plays  produced  at  the  Amer- 
ican National  Theatre,  as  in  Europe  is  the  case 
with  authors  who  have  their  plays  performed 
at  the  Burg  Theater  and  the  Theatre  Fran9ais. 


286  THE    LIFE    OF    HEINRICH    CONRIED 

American  plays,  which  had  had  a  hearing  and 
made  a  success  at  the  National  Theatre,  might 
go  on  tour  and  make  even  more  money  than 
they  do  now,  thanks  to  the  extra  advertising 
they  would  get  from  the  fact  that  they  had 
been  interpreted  at  the  representative  American 
playhouse.  Actors,  again,  would  be  ambitious 
to  become  members  of  this  National  Theatre, 
for  the  sake  of  the  distinction  which  their  ap- 
pearance on  its  boards  would  give  them. 

There  is  absolutely  no  doubt  in  my  mind 
that  a  National  Theatre  could  be  established 
here,  and  that,  contrary  to  the  prevailing  opin- 
ion, it  could  be  established  without  great  sacri- 
fice of  money.  All  I  think  necessary  is  that  a 
home  should  he  built  for  the  National  Theatre^ 
with  all  that  is  essential  to  such  a  house.  The 
capital  required,  which  I  estimate  at  $3,000,000, 
would  be  provided  by,  say,  thirty  stockholders, 
each  of  whom  would  contribute  the  sum  of 
$100,000.  Each  stockholder  would  own  a  box, 
in  perpetuity,  together  with  a  proportionate  in- 
terest in  the  National  Theatre  property,  which 
would  be  unencumbered  by  mortgages. 

The  building  erected  for  the  purposes  of  the 
National  Theatre  should,  like  the  art  of  which 
it  would  be  a  symbol,  be  dignified  and  beautiful. 
It  should  be  worthy  of  the  American  people. 


THE   LIFE    or    HEINRICH    CONRIED  287 

Externally,  it  should,  I  think,  be  stately  and 
simple.  Internally,  it  should  be  comfortable 
and  harmonious.  Plans  for  the  theatre  should 
be  prepared  by  eminent  architects.  The  stage 
appliances  should  be  of  the  most  modern  kind. 
The  accommodation  provided  for  the  members 
of  the  company  should  be  liberal  and  appropri- 
ate, while  all  imaginable  precautions  should  be 
taken  to  protect  both  audiences  and  actors 
against  fire.  Once  the  plans  were  approved, 
it  should  be  possible  to  open  the  National  Thea- 
tre within  two  years.  And  the  cost  of  acquir- 
ing the  land  required,  and  of  building  the  thea- 
tre, would  involve  no  loss  to  those  who  had 
supplied  the  capital.  The  original  outlay  would 
be  more  than  guaranteed  by  the  inherent  value 
of  the  property,  which  would  grow  steadily 
rather  than  diminish. 

It  was  this  spirit  which  prompted  INIr.  Con- 
ried,  and  undoubtedly  it  was  his  initiative  which 
induced  those  gentlemen  who  had  for  so  many 
years  backed  opera  with  their  financial  support, 
to  come  together  and  determine  to  give  patron- 
age to  the  drama  as  well.  The  first  President 
of  the  organization,  which  selected  Mr.  Conried 
as  administrator,  was  Mr.  Charles  Barney. 

The    original    plans    for    the    New    Theatre, 


288  THE    LIFE    OF    HEINRICH    CONRIED 

coming  under  the  personal  supervision  of  Mr. 
Conried  himself,  and  placed  in  the  hands  of 
Messrs.  Carrere  and  Hastings  for  execution, 
were  based  on  the  precedents  established  at 
the  Wagner  Theater  in  Bayreuth. 

Much  of  the  technical  planning  was  given 
over  to  Mr.  E.  Castel-Bert,  who  worked  in 
close  consultation  with  Mr.  Conried.  In  fact, 
there  is  a  letter,  dated  as  late  as  March  4, 
1908,  from  the  architects,  which  shows  what 
a  moving  spirit  Conried  was  in  the  New  Theatre 
plans,  up  to  the  very  last  moment  when  illness 
forced  him  to  relinquish  all  control.  Messrs. 
Carrere  and  Hastings  communicated  the  fol- 
lowing : 

Dear  Mr.  Conried: 

In  reply  to  a  letter  which  we  wrote  to  Mr. 
Kahn  some  time  ago,  asking  for  instructions 
as  to  whom  we  should  deal  with  concerning  all 
matters  pertaining  to  the  stage  and  other  techni- 
cal features  of  the  New  Theatre,  and  express- 
ing the  hope  that  we  should  continue  to  have 
your  collaboration  and  that  of  Mr.  Castel-Bert, 
we  have  been  advised  by  Mr.  Kahn  that  it  is 
the  wish  of  the  Directors  that  we  should  con- 
tinue to  act  under  your  guidance.  The  work 
has  reached  a  point  where  it  is  absolutely  neces- 


THE    LIFE    OF    HEINRICH    COXRIED  289 

sary  that  we  should  have  repeated  conferences 
as  in  the  past  with  you  and  Mr.  Castel-Bert, 
as  there  are  a  number  of  points  which  must 
be  settled  without  any  further  delay. 

Under  date  of  March  5,   1908,  is   the   fol- 
lowing communication : 

Dear  Mr.   Conried: 

Replying  to  your  favor  of  INIarch  4th,  in 
which  you  ask  us  to  state  definitely  the  nature 
of  the  expert  services  which  will  be  required 
from  Mr.  Castel-Bert,  we  would  state  that  we 
cannot  lay  too  much  stress  on  the  value  of  the 
services  which  he  has  already  rendered  us  un- 
der your  direction,  and  which  have  consisted, 
as  you  know,  in  the  first  place,  in  the  planning 
of  the  whole  scheme  of  the  stage  and  its  de- 
pendencies; in  other  words,  the  establishing  of 
the  whole  method  of  handling  the  stage  work 
and  of  housing  the  stage  personnel  and  ma- 
chinery. This  has  entailed  a  great  deal  of 
thought  and  study,  and  many  conferences  with 
this  office,  followed  by  constant  revisions  and 
improvements  of  the  plans,  until  they  have 
arrived  at  their  present  state  of  development. 

Of  course,  up  to  the  present  point  the  de- 
tails have  been  worked  out  only  so  far  as  nec- 
essary for  us  to  develop  our  plans  and  to  pro- 


290  THE    LIFE    OF   HEINRICH    CONRIED 

vide  for  all  of  the  spaces,  the  proper  sizes  and 
the  proper  relation,  also  to  make  provision  for 
all  of  the  mechanism  and  other  important  fea- 
tures. What  we  need  now  is  the  same  kind 
of  expert  advice  with  regard  to  the  develop- 
ment of  all  of  the  details  of  the  various  features 
of  the  stage  business.  These  can  be  divided 
generally  into  five  classes,  namely: 

First,  All  of  the  work  relating  directly  to  the 
stage  and  its  mechanism. 

Second,  All  of  the  installation  and  details 
relating  to  the  dressing-rooms  and  other  ser- 
vices. 

Third,  A  detail  study  of  the  orchestra  pit 
and   its   mechanism. 

Fourth,  The  development,  in  all  of  its  de- 
tails, of  the  stage  lighting,  switchboard  work 
and  general  electric  control. 

Fifth,  As  far  as  it  is  now  provided  for,  the 
installation  of  the  school. 

These  letters  emphasize  the  tremendous  re- 
sponsibility which  was  placed  upon  Mr.  Con- 
ried's  shoulders,  and,  though  their  detail  sug- 
gests a  massiveness  which  indicates  how  un- 
wisely the  ground-plan  of  the  New  Theatre 
was  conceived,  this  all  the  more  convinces  us 
that  Mr.   Conried  must  have  had   ideas  in  his 


THE   LIFE   OF    HEINRICH    CONRIED  291 

mind  for  the  use  of  the  building  other  than 
for  general  theatrical  purposes;  he  must  have 
foreseen  the  possibility  that,  should  the  New 
Theatre  venture  prove  a  failure,  the  building 
itself  Avould  be  available  for  the  purposes  of 
opera,  or  concert  work,  or  large  spectacular 
productions — a  destiny  which  actually  befell  it. 
Mr.  Conried  was  not  one  to  shirk  any  of 
the  details,  once  the  responsibility  was  in  his 
hands.  In  his  work,  both  as  Director  and 
Impresario,  he  exhibited  a  thoroughness  which 
characterized  him  throughout  his  professional 
life.  There  is  extant  a  memorandum,  in  his 
own  handwriting,  wherein  he  details  the  physi- 
cal aspects  of  the  New  Theatre  building  he 
had  in  mind,  as  thoroughly  as  he  outlined  in 
his  foregoing  papers  the  general  spirit  which 
should  actuate  any  repertory  theatre  in  Amer- 
ica. Even  though  he  did  not  live  to  see  the 
accomplishment  of  his  dream,  there  is  no  doubt 
that  his  name  was  prominently  to  the  fore  when 
the  New  Theatre  finally  opened.  One  of  the 
papers  (The  Times)  even  went  so  far,  on  the 
morning  after  the  dedication,  to  publish  an 
editorial  called  "In  Memory  of  Conried,"  and 
to  credit  him  with  the  genius  and  energy  which 
lay  behind  the  inception  of  the  idea  and  the 
construction  of  the  building.     For  "the  play- 


292  THE   LIFE    OF    HEINRICH    CONRIED 

house  on  Central  Park  West  is  not  an  out- 
growth of  any  of  the  many  futile  schemes  of 
the  past,  looking  toward  the  establishment  of 
a  National  Theatre,  an  'advanced'  theatre,  a 
theatre  of  art  and  letters.  On  the  contrary, 
it  is  the  realization  of  an  idea  born  in  Con- 
ried's  brain,  revealed  by  him  to  the  Founders, 
and  j)lanned  under  his  eye  and  according  to 
his  conception.  ...  It  was  he,  and  nobody 
else,  who  inspired  the  Founders  to  build  and 
equip  the  house." 

However  much  of  a  failure  the  whole  enter- 
prise in  its  physical  aspects  may  have  proven 
itself  to  be,  it  still  remains  that  Mr.  Conried's 
belief  was  strong  enough  to  start  in  motion  an 
idea  which  has  never  since  then  left  the  mind  of 
the  American  theatregoing  public.  But  it  is 
well  to  bear  in  mind  the  fact  that,  however  much 
Heinrich  Conried  may  be  connected  with  the 
original  organization  of  the  New  Theatre,  the 
final  plans  Avere  materially  changed  from  those 
he  had  personally  conceived. 


CHAPTER   VIII 

The  season  of  1906-7.  Correspondence  about  "Salome." 
"Manon  Lescaut."  "Madame  Butterfly."  "Salome"  in 
rehearsal.  Opinions  for  and  against.  A  testimonial 
from  the  Opera  Company.  The  Directors  interpose. 
Conried's  formal  statement.  Resolutions  after  the 
withdrawal  of  "Salome." 

DURING  the  Metropolitan  season  of 
1906-07,  the  repertoh*e  was  augmented 
by  seven  operas:  Giordano's  "Fedora," 
given  for  the  first  time  on  December  5,  1906; 
"La  Damnation  de  Faust";  "Lakme,"  which 
had  been  absent  from  the  list  for  many  years; 
"L'Africaine,"  "Manon  Lescaut,"  "Madame 
Butterfly,"  and  that  centre  of  discord,  "Sa- 
lome." 

From  the  very  moment  Mr.  Conried  went 
abroad  in  the  summer  of  1906,  his  correspond- 
ence was  filled  with  details  in  his  preparations 
for  "Butterfly"  and  "Lescaut,"  and  we  find 
repeated  cablegrams  and  telegrams  and  notes 
regarding  his  negotiations  with  Strauss  for  his 
opera.  Not  only  that,  but  he  was  promising 
the  role  of  Salome  to  many  different  "stars," 
some  of  whom,  in  all  probability,  looked  askance 


294  THE   LIFE    OF    HEINRICH    CONRIED 

at   the  honor   of   appearing  in   the   sensational 
opera. 

As  late  as  July  15th,  from  Bad  Gastein, 
Mr.  Conried  wrote  to  Richard  Strauss,  claiming 
that  his  demands  for  "Salome"  were  practically 
unheard  of.     He  said: 

If  Director  Loewe  intends  to  stage  your 
work  during  the  season  of  1907-08,  his  plan  is 
based  on  total  ignorance  of  the  matter,  and 
will  never  reach  fruition  unless  he  desires  to 
pay  us  a  very  colossal  sum.  Until  now  I  have 
never  paid  in  any  operatic  performance  more 
than  $75  an  evening  for  the  author's  rights, 
and,  in  the  case  of  this  new  manuscript,  which 
has  won  such  a  colossal  success,  I  have  prom- 
ised $250  for  the  evening,  guaranteeing  four 
evenings.  In  return  for  which  the  publisher 
bound  himself  to  loan  me,  without  cost,  the  en- 
tire score.  ...  I  have  already  mentioned  that 
the  subscription  list  in  the  Metropolitan  Opera 
House,  as  you  can  very  readily  find  out,  is  so 
large  for  next  season  that  I  have  not  an  empty 
seat  to  sell  for  an}"  evening.  The  performance 
of  "Salome"  on  one  of  these  evenings  is  almost 
impossible,  for  the  reason  that  my  audience 
would  not  be  satisfied  to  recognize  as  sufficient 
a  performance  which  lasts  at  the  most  only  one 


THE   LIFE   OF    HEINRICH    CONRIED  295 

hour  and  twenty-five  minutes,  even  if  it  is 
such  a  wonderful  work  as  "Salome."  I  also 
don't  know  how  the  American  people  will  take 
to  the  subject,  and  I  have  simply  said  that, 
even  at  the  risk  of  my  audiences  not  liking 
the  material,  I,  as  Director  of  the  Metropolitan 
Opera  House,  would  be  bound  to  produce  your 
opera  before  my  audiences — an  opera  which  I, 
personally,  and  unendingly,  admire. 

For  this  purpose,  I  am  ready  to  make  a 
great  financial  sacrifice,  covering  the  equip- 
ment, the  large  orchestra,  the  many  rehearsals, 
the  difficult  casting  of  the  principal  roles,  as 
well  as  the  minor  parts  which,  according  to  my 
opinion,  require  first-class  talent  as  well.  In 
other  words,  I  am  ready  to  make  the  perform- 
ance a  very  dear  one. 

In  spite  of  all  this,  I  am  willing  to  pay  you 
the  highest  author's  royalty  that  I  can  give  you, 
provided  you  yourself  direct  the  first  perform- 
ance. I  am  willing  to  grant  you  an  evening's 
salary  of  $500 — a  salary  which  has  never  been 
paid  an  Opera  Director  anywhere  in  the  world. 
.  .  .  You  want  five  "Salome"  performances 
guaranteed  for  the  second  season,  with  an  even- 
ing's salary  of  $750.  If  you  direct  a  perform- 
ance in  the  second  year,  perhaps  it  will  be 
worth  that,  in  case  "Salome"  is  a  success  the 


296  THE   LIFE   OF   HEINRICH   CONRIED 

first  year — ^which  you  take  for  granted  and 
which  I  most  sincerely  wish.  If,  however,  my 
audiences,  despite  all  the  greatness  of  your 
work,  dislike  the  opera,  in  what  a  situation 
would  I  find  myself  then? 

After  going  into  more  financial  details  with 
Strauss,  Conried  ends  his  letter  in  the  follow- 
ing way: 

If  "Salome"  should  really  find  the  expected 
success  which  both  of  us  hope  for  it,  I  shall 
probably  give  the  opera  more  often,  and  it 
can  stay  in  the  repertoire.  That  is  the  only 
possible  point  of  view.  Everything  else  over- 
steps the  bounds  of  what  I  can  afford,  finan- 
cially, and  simply  cannot  be  done.  I  should 
like  your  opinions  by  return  mail,  and  hope 
that  they  will  be  of  my  way  of  thinking. 

This  correspondence,  which  continued  in 
many  directions,  pointed  to  a  doubt  in  Mr. 
Conried's  mind  as  to  whether  the  Strauss  opera 
would  be  denounced  by  the  opera-going  public. 
But  he  was  not  deterred  in  any  way  during 
his  negotiations  through  the  summer. 

Conried  had  given  Puccini's  operas  firm  place 
in  the  repertoire  of  the  Metropolitan,  and  dur- 
ing this  season  the  composer  himself  came  to 


THE   LIFE   OF    HEINRICH    CONKIEn  297 

America  to  lend  eclat  to  the  occasion.  Pie 
was  received  by  a  crowded  house  and  greeted 
with  unprecedented  enthusiasm  and  excitement. 
At  the  first  performance  of  "Manon  Les- 
caut,"  *  on  the  evening  of  January  18,  1907, 
Signor  Puccini  did  not  reach  the  Opera  House 
until  toward  the  middle  of  the  first  act,  and 
very  quietly  he  slipped  into  the  Director's  box. 
But,  much  to  his  surprise,  he  was  saluted  by 
the  orchestra  at  the  close  of  the  act,  and  the 
audience  gave  him  a  round  of  applause — an 
applause  which  utterly  disconcerted  him,  and 
made  him  nervously  withdraw.  It  was  after 
the  second  act,  however,  that  he  sent  the  follow- 
ing message,  written  in  French,  to  the  Press :  f 

I  have  always  thought  that  an  artist  has 
something  to  learn  at  any  age.  It  was  with 
delight,  therefore,  that  I  accepted  the  invitation 
of  the  Directors  of  the  Metropolitan  Opera 
House  to  come  to  this  new  world  of  which  I 
saw  a  corner  on  my  visit  to  Buenos  Ayres,  and 
with  which  I  was  anxious  to  get  better  ac- 
quainted. What  I  have  seen  to-night  has  al- 
ready proved  to  me  that  I  did  well  to  come 
here,  and  I  consider  myself  happy  to  be  able 

*  The  opera  had  been  given  previously  at  Wallack's  Theatre,  in 
May,  1898,  by  an  Italian  company, 
f  As  quoted  by  Mr.  Krehbiel. 


298  THE   LIFE   OF   HEINRICH    CONRIED 

to  say  that  I  am  among  my  friends,  to  whom 
I  can  speak  in  music  with  a  certainty  of  being 
understood. 

"Madame  Butterfly"  *  was  now  put  into  re- 
hearsal as  the  next  production  for  the  Metro- 
politan Opera  House,  but  it  must  not  be  for- 
gotten that  the  American  public  was  famil- 
iar with  the  Puccini  music,  inasmuch  as  the 
opera  had  already  been  given  in  English  by 
the  Henry  W.  Savage  Company,  and  the  music 
had  been  heard  in  concert.  The  drama  had 
likewise,  on  the  dramatic  stage,  served  as  an 
excellent  vehicle  for  Miss  Blanche  Bates,  the 
play  having  been  originally  taken  from  Mr. 
John  Luther  Long's  story  of  the  same  name, 
and  brought  to  artistic  perfection  by  Mr.  David 
Belasco. 

When  Conried  decided  to  present  Miss  Far- 
rar  in  the  chief  role  of  Cio-Cio-San,  he  asked 
Mr.  Belasco  to  co-operate  with  him  in  his  first 
attempt  to  create  a  faithful  atmosphere.  Prac- 
tically every  "property"  Mr.  Belasco  had  was 
put  at  the  disposal  of  the  Metropolitan  Opera 
House,  Mr.  Belasco  himself  going  over  to  direct 
some  of  the  rehearsals.  In  fact,  when  asked 
about  these  rehearsals,  Mr.  Belasco  always 
points  a  moral  and  adorns  a  tale;  he  never  fails 

*  For  l)ibliofrraphv  on  Puccini,  see  "Modern  Drama  and  Opera" 
(Boston  Book  Co.), 'pp.  212-22G. 


GERALDINE    FARRAR 


THE   LIFE   OF   IIEINIIICH    CONRIED  299 

to  show  how  painstaking,  how  entliusiastic, 
how  full  of  energy,  the  opera  singers  were — 
going  over  scene  after  scene  in  a  way  which 
would  put  the  average  actor  to  shame.  It  was 
during  these  rehearsals  that  Mr.  Belasco  began 
to  recognize  the  marvellous  histrionic  ability  of 
JMiss  Farrar — an  ability  which  made  him  try 
at  that  time  to  persuade  her  to  desert  opera 
for  the  stage. 

For  that  initial  performance,  Caruso  ap- 
peared as  Pmkerton,  the  detective,  a  part  which 
later  was  assumed  by  his  great  personal  friend, 
Riccardo  Martin.  The  opera  was  an  instant 
and  permanent  success,  and  it  determined  Puc- 
cini, then  and  there,  to  seek  Mr.  Belasco's  aid 
in  preparing  another  libretto  for  his  next  work. 
The  result  of  these  conferences  was  the  accept- 
ance of  "The  Girl  of  the  Golden  West,"  wliicli 
Puccini  went  to  see  with  Mr.  Belasco  during 
a  sujjplementary  run  of  that  jilay  in  New  York 
at  the  Academy  of  Music. 

This  season  at  the  Metropolitan  may  be  con- 
sidered the  high-water  mark  of  JNIr.  Conried's 
regime. 

It  was  a  fortunate  thing  that  the  year  was  a 
successful  one,  for  it  enabled  the  Impresario 
to  replace  the  nineteen  operas  destroyed  in  the 
San  Francisco  fire.     When  one  considers  that 


300  THE    LIFE   OF    HEINRICH    CONRIED 

it  Mas  during  this  season  that  Mr.  Conried's 
illness  first  began  to  show  signs  of  its  inevitable 
grip  upon  him,  and  when  one  realizes  the  mul- 
tifarious details  connected  with  the  Metropol- 
itan, the  Irving  Place  Theatre,  and  the  New 
Theatre  that  crowded  in  upon  him,  one  can 
get  a  fair  idea  of  the  killing  pace  which  com- 
pelled him  beyond  his  weakening  strength.  His 
extreme  nervousness  over  executive  affairs  was 
further  increased  about  this  time,  and  the  first 
pronounced  signs  of  an  illness  which  was  to 
prove  fatal  were  brought  on  by  a  most  dis- 
agreeable episode  which  dragged  Signor  Caruso 
into  the  civil  courts,  and  which  filled  the  pa- 
pers with  considerable  gossip  in  regard  to  sing- 
ers in  particular  and  blackmail  in  general.  It 
was  the  long  periods  of  court  attendance  which 
helped  to  aggravate  the  illness  of  Mr.  Conried. 
In  addition  to  which  there  were  excitement  and 
uncertainty  in  his  mind  as  to  whether  "Salome" 
would  be  a  success,  and,  despite  the  fact  that 
he  was  a  sick  man,  he  insisted  on  keeping  his 
hand  firmly  upon  all  the  details  in  preparation 
for  that  opera.  In  fact,  many  of  the  rehearsals 
for  the  production  were  conducted  at  ]Mr.  Con- 
ried's bedside,  so  interested  was  he  in  the  out- 
come. 

All  the  opera  world  became  agog  with  the 


THE   LIFE   OF   HEINRICH    CONRIED  301 

announcements  JMr.  Conried  made  from  time 
to  time  in  regard  to  his  progress  on  "Salome."  * 
It  was  regarded  as  a  move  in  the  direction  of 
decadence,  and  cartoons  were  published,  making 
Mr.  Conried  the  hero  of  a  most  unsavory  noto- 
riety. Madame  Fremstad,  upon  whose  shoul- 
ders fell  the  responsibility  of  interpreting  the 
role,  was  working  hard  in  preparation  for  the 
auspicious  event.  In  the  pulpit,  Conried  was 
being  denounced  every  Sunday,  and  altogether, 
long  before  the  performance  was  tested,  the 
public  was  placed  in  full  possession  of  all  the 
gory  details,  which  serve  to  make  this  opera 
so  rej^ulsive — not  only  in  subject  matter  but  in 
theatrical  treatment.  For  Strauss  was  one  of 
the  most  ultra  of  the  German  composers.  He 
followed  every  craze  that  beset  the  art  world 
around  him,  and  allowed  himself  to  be  carried 
by  the  current  of  the  "blond  beast"  philosophy. 
As  pointed  out  by  the  critic  of  the  Evening 
Post  (New  York),  he  had  not  only  written  his 
metaphysical  song,  "Thus  Spake  Zarathusa," 
during  the  wild  fad  of  Nietzsche;  he  had  not 
only  catered  to  lovers  of  the  uherhrettl  school 

*See  Arthur  Symons,  "Studies  in  Seven  Arts";  files  of  Muswal 
Courier  for  January  and  February,  1907;  an  interview  with  Strauss 
in  re  "Salome,"  iri  New  York  World,  Wednesday,  January  30, 
1907;  Lawrence  Gilman's  discussion  of  "Salome,  Art  and  Morals," 
in  "Aspects  of  Modern  Opera."  Also  see  Theatre  Magazine, 
3Iarch,  1907. 


302  THE   LIFE   OF    HEINRICH    CONRIED 

by  writing  "Feuersnote,"  but  he  now  catered 
to  the  Oscar  Wilde  craze  in  Germany  by  com- 
posing the  opera  under  discussion — one  which 
the  Kaiser  himself  censored!  As  one  critic  said, 
"Compared  with  Salome,  Manon  Lescaut  and 
Violetta  are  angels."  * 

So  persistent  were  attacks  on  all  sides,  and 
so  speculative  did  the  public  become  as  to 
whether  Conried  would  be  allowed  to  give  the 
opera,  that  the  Impresario,  driven  to  the  wall, 
made  announcement  in  the  public  Press  that 
under  no  conditions  whatsoever  would  he  be 
prevented  from  producing  "Salome" — if  not 
in  the  Metropolitan  Opera  House,  then  in  a 
theatre,  for  special  matinees. 

A  dress  rehearsal  was  given  several  evenings 
before  the  regular  benefit  performance,!  and 
to  this  not  only  were  the  Directors  and  critics 
invited,  but  many  friends  were  asked,  with  the 
idea  of  gaining  some  consensus  of  opinion.  If 
the  decadents  of  France  in  the  early  days  of 
Maeterlinck  strove  to  create  a  new  "shudder," 
certainly  they  were  far  surpassed  in  gruesome- 
ness  and  gory  character  of  the  incidents  by 
"Salome."  We  remember  the  repulsive  scene 
in    D'Annunzio's    "Francesca    da    Rimini,"    as 

*  See  Bibliography  of  Strauss  in  "Modern  Drama  and  Opera," 
pp.  22T-244. 

f  "Salome"  was  produced  for  the  Impresario's  "benefit." 


THE   LIFE    OF    HEINRICH    CONRIEI)  303 

played  by  Duse,  when  Malatestino  brought  a 
severed  head  upon  the  stage,  wrapped  up  in 
a  red  napkin;  the  Salome  scene  with  John  the 
Baptist  was  much  more  repulsive,  and  had  ]Mr. 
Conried  been  anything  of  a  timid  Impresario, 
he  would  have  taken  warning  by  that  Sunday 
evening  performance. 

Preparations  went  on,  and  the  hour  of  the 
first  presentation,  January  22,  1907,  arrived. 
It  is  claimed  by  friends  of  Mr.  Conried  that, 
in  spite  of  the  fact  that  rehearsals  of  "Salome" 
were  conducted  in  his  sick  room,  with  Ernest 
Goerlitz  continuallj^  at  his  beck  and  call,  if  he 
had  been  a  well  man,  if  he  had  been  able  to 
keep  his  strong,  sensitive  hand  at  the  helm, 
results  might  have  been  different,  and  the  start- 
ling effects  might  have  been  toned  down.  But 
the  current  was  too  strong  for  him  to  steer 
safely  through  the  dissenting  voices  of  the 
stockholders,  the  old  subscribers,  and  the  man- 
agement. 

The  cast,  on  the  opening  night,  consisted  of 
Fremstad  as  Salome,  Burrian  as  Herod,  Van 
Rooy  as  Jochanaan,  and  Andreas  Dippel  as 
Narrabotli.  JNIr.  Hertz  conducted  a  full  or- 
chestra. 

The  production,  like  every  opera  staged  by 
Mr.    Conried,   was   a   brilliant   one.      Krehbicl, 


304  THE   LIFE   OF   HEINRICH    CONRIED 

in  an  analysis  which  is  complete  in  its  estimate 
of  the  morale  of  the  opera,*  admits  its  supreme 
and  beautiful  musical  moments.  He  quotes 
W.  P.  Eaton's  descriptions  of  the  scenery, 
which  at  that  time  was  the  last  word  in  deco- 
rative art — a  period  before  the  advent  of  Leon 
Bakst,  and  before  the  theories  of  emotionalism 
and  mood  as  illustrated  by  the  Russian  Ballet.f 

But  he  felt  that  his  position  was  greatly 
strengthened  by  the  fact  that  his  company,  to 
a  man,  was  back  of  him,  inasmuch  as  they  had 
taken  this  auspicious  occasion,  when  he  was 
harassed  on  all  sides,  and  furthermore  incapaci- 
tated by  the  increase  of  his  illness,  to  tender 
him  a  formal  testimonial,  bound  in  leather  and 
signed  by  everyone  at  the  Opera  House,  from 
the  highest  to  the  lowest;  it  was  dated  January 
22,  1907. 

This  testimonial,  in  the  form  of  Resolutions, 
read  as  follows: 

It  is  with  the  warmest  and  most  sincere  sym- 
pathy that  we,  the  artists,  technical  staff,  and 
administrative  stafP,  of  the  great  Opera  House 
which,  for  the  past  four  seasons,  you  have  so 
ably  and  successfully  managed,  beg  you  to 
accept  the  assurance  of  the  admiration  which  we 

*  See  his  "Chapters  of  Opera,"  pp.  343-57. 

t  Josef  Urban,  nevertheless,  was  designing  for  Conried. 


THE   LIFE   OF   HEINRICH   CONRIED  305 

feel  for  you  as  the  Director,  and  the  esteem 
with  which  we  regard  you  as  a  man. 

We  realize  how  crushing  are  the  labor  and 
the  responsibility  of  watching  over  and  defend- 
ing the  interests  of  Grand  Opera  in  so  great 
and  important  a  theatre  as  the  Metropolitan 
Opera  House;  and  we  have  deeply  regretted 
that,  as  a  consequence  of  the  exceptionally 
severe  strain  to  which  for  many  months  you 
have  been  subjected,  you  have  been  obliged  to 
pass  through  a  painful  and  lingering  illness, 
and  have  had  most  unwillingly  to  absent  youT- 
self  in  the  body,  though,  as  we  are  well  aware, 
not  in  the  spirit,  from  your  headquarters. 

The  daring  enterprise,  the  liberality,  and  the 
artistic  intelligence  which  you  have  shown  dur- 
ing the  past  four  years,  have  proved  you  to 
be  ^preeminently  fitted  for  the  high  duties  at- 
taching to  your  position.  We  have  been  im- 
pressed by  the  artistic  beauty  and  thoroughness 
of  your  productions  of  works  never  before  given 
in  America,  and  of  your  revivals  of  older  works 
which,  thanks  to  the  manner  in  which  they  were 
presented,  had,  to  the  opera-loving  public,  al- 
most the  appearance  and  interest  of  novelties. 
Your  production  of  Richard  Wagner's  "Par- 
sifal," in  the  first  season  of  your  management, 
will  forever  remain  memorable  in  the  operatic 


306  THE    LIFE    OF    HEINRICH    CONRIED 

annals  of  the  United  States.  The  production 
of  "Die  Meistersinger,"  with  the  beautiful 
stage  pictures,  in  the  following  season,  came 
as  a  revelation.  Equally  admirable  were  your 
revivals  of  "La  Giaconda"  and  "Aida." 

'Nor  was  your  will  to  satisfy  the  long-felt 
want  of  the  New  York  public  for  operatic 
novelties  at  all  lessened  by  the  terrible  catas- 
trophe in  San  Francisco,  at  the  end  of  last 
season,  which  destroyed  so  large  a  part  of  your 
stage  equipment. 

Misfortune,  indeed,  merely  quickened  your 
determination  to  fulfil  your  mission,  and  the 
season  now  under  way  has  alread}'-  been  char- 
acterized by  more  new  productions  than  all 
previous  seasons  at  the  Metropolitan  Opera 
House.  The  successful  presentation  of  Gior- 
dano's "Fedora"  was  followed  by  Berlioz's 
"La  Damnation  de  Faust,"  in  a  waj^  which 
earned  the  enthusiastic  approval  of  both  the 
public  and  the  Press.  After  a  brief  interval, 
we  saw  a  remarkable  revival  of  Meyerbeer's 
"L'Africaine."  A  week  later  came  the  pro- 
duction of  Puccini's  "Manon  Lescaut,"  which 
was  honored  by  the  presence  of  the  composer, 
and,  as  the  crowning  achievement  of  the  season, 
we  have  this  evening  been  made  acquainted  with 
the  most  complex  and  extraordinary  of  music- 
dramas,   Richard  Strauss's  "Salome."     Before 


THE    LIFE   OF    HEINRICH    CONRIED  307 

the  season  ends,  we  may  also  count  on  hearing 
Puccini's  "Madame  Butterfly"  and  Cilea's 
"Adriana  Lecouvreur,"  and  a  revival  of  Wag- 
ner's "Der  Fliegende  Hollander." 

To  have  attempted  more  than  one  stage  pro- 
duction at  a  single  season  would,  not  long  ago, 
have  awakened  wonder,  but  you  have  sometimes 
placed,  not  merely  one,  but,  as  in  the  present 
season,  eight  or  ten  stage  achievements  to  your 
credit,  and  we  know  how  truly  you  have  paid 
for  your  devotion. 

We  trust  that,  during  the  remaining  years 
of  your  Directorship,  you  may  continue  to  win 
fame  and  favor,  and  that,  in  your  efforts,  you 
may  ever  be  assisted  by  the  sympathy  of  the 
public,  the  loyalty  of  your  staff,  and  the  af- 
fection of  your  company. 

Two  days  after  the  premiere,  Mr.  Conried 
was  requested  by  the  Directors  of  the  JNIetro- 
politan  Opera  and  Real  Estate  Company  to 
withdraw  "Salome,"  as  it  had  been  found  ob- 
jectionable, under  Section  3  of  the  lease  of  tlie 
house.  It  was  said  that  Mrs.  Herbert  Sat- 
terlee,  daughter  of  J.  Pierpont  JMorgan,  had 
used  her  influence  with  her  father  for  the  with- 
drawal of  the  opera.  The  staging  had  cost 
Conried   something  like   $25,000,   and  he   was 


308  THE   LIFE   OF   HEINRICH   CONRIED 

confidently  anticipating  a  triumph.  Here  are 
the  resolutions  sent  to  the  Impresario  on  Janu- 
ary 25th: 

"The  Directors  of  the  Metropolitan  Opera 
and  Real  Estate  Company  consider  that  the 
performance  of  'Salome'  is  objectionable  and 
detrimental  to  the  best  interests  of  the  Metro- 
politan Opera  House.  They  therefore  protest 
against  any  repetition  of  this  opera." 

Such  a  mandate  on  the  part  of  the  Directors 
was  hastened  in  view  of  Mr.  Conried's  an- 
nouncement, after  the  evening  of  his  benefit, 
that  ''Salome"  would  be  given  for  three  special 
performances,  open  to  the  regular  opera-going 
clientele.  This  action  on  the  part  of  the  Di- 
rectors was  the  beginning  of  Mr.  Conried's  in- 
creased failure  in  health.  He  recognized  the 
request  as  the  exasperating  triumph  of  a  small 
and  prudish  group,  and  he  expressed,  with 
characteristic  vigor,  his  just  grievance  in  the 
following  communication  (January  30,  1907) : 

To  the  Board  of  Directors  of  the  Metropolitan 
Opera  and  Real  Estate  Co.,  New  York. 

Gentlemen  : 

In  reference  to  your  letter  of  the  25th  in- 
stant, protesting  against  further  performances 


THE   LIFE   OF  HEINRICH   CONRIED  309 

of  "Salome"  at  the  Metropolitan  Opera  House, 
we  beg  leave  briefly  to  state  our  position: 

Strauss's  "Salome"  is  recognized  by  the  con- 
sensus of  the  most  competent  critics  of  modern 
music  as  a  monumental  work,  probably  the 
greatest  which  musical  genius  has  produced  in 
this  generation.  It  has  been  performed  in  more 
than  twenty  European  cities,  including  many 
of  the  foremost  Court  Theatres,  in  which  a 
strict  standard  of  censorship  prevails.  In  Ber- 
lin, the  Emperor,  who,  as  King  of  Prussia,  is 
the  official  head  of  the  Protestant  Church  in 
Prussia,  at  first  refused  his  consent,  but,  after 
further  consideration,  withdrew  his  objection, 
and  it  is  now  being  played  at  the  Royal  Opera 
House  there,  to  enthusiastic  audiences. 

It  is  a  commonplace  to  state  that  the  libretto 
of  all  operas  is  a  subordinate  feature,  and  that 
what  people  go  to  hear  is  not  the  text,  but  the 
music.  Not  a  few  of  the  operas  of  the  classical 
repertoire  are  based  upon  plots,  and  contain 
language,  which  would  be  decidedly  objection- 
able if  they  were  not  overshadowed  and  ideal- 
ized by  the  beauty  of  the  music.  In  the  same 
way,  the  grandeur  and  compelling  interest  of 
Strauss's  music  is  such  as  to  detract  attention 
entirely  from  the  text  which,  moreover,  is  sung 
here  in  a  foreign  language,  and  which,  even  by 


310  THE    LIFE    OF    HEINRICH    CONRIED 

Strauss  himself,  has  been  held  to  be  so  subor- 
dinate to  the  orchestral  composition  that,  when 
told  that  the  orchestra,  augmented  to  over  one 
hundred  men,  would  drown  the  voices  on  the 
stage,  he  said,  "I  don't  care  if  it  does.  Never 
mind  the  voices  or  the  words.  Bring  out  the 
music  of  the  orchestra,  regardless  of  the 
singers." 

The  only  religious  personage  in  the  work, 
John  the  Baptist,  is  depicted  as  a  sublime  and 
beautiful  character,  and  treated  with  dignity 
and  reverence.  The  hideous  deed  of  Salome 
is  duly  punished  by  swift  death. 

However,  we  are  not  concerned  in  defending 
Oscar  Wilde's  text,  though  much  that  has  been 
said  against  it  is  based  upon  wilful  seeking  for 
hidden  motives — meanings  and  imaginations  in 
no  way  apparent  from  the  text — but  *we  do 
claim  that  the  opera  should  he  judged  as  a 
musical,  not  as  a  dramatic,  work. 

Many  of  those  most  violently  criticizing  the 
opera  have  never  witnessed  its  performance, 
and  base  their  attitude  upon  sensationally  ex- 
aggerated reports.  It  may  be  remembered  that 
the  appearance  of  Richard  Wagner  on  the 
musical  horizon,  not  so  many  years  ago,  was 
greeted  with  a  storm  of  hostility  and  villifica- 
tion.     We  take  issue  with  the  statement   that 


THE    LIFE   OF    HEINRICH    CONRIED  311 

Strauss's  music  is  of  the  same  character  and 
tendency  as  Wilde's  text;  on  the  contrary,  to 
quote  only  one  instance,  it  is  perfectly  apparent 
that  the  "Salome"  music,  after  the  death  of 
John  the  BajjUst,  clearly  means  to  indicate  the 
turning  of  her  passion  into  a  purified  love  and 
deep  contrition. 

After  the  enthusiastic  reception  accorded  to 
the  work  in  Europe,  where  its  performance 
everywhere  was  considered  a  musical  event  of 
the  first  magnitude,  we  considered  it  our  obvi- 
ous duty  to  bring  it  before  the  New  York 
public.  We  believe  we  may  claim  to  have 
produced  it  in  a  thoroughly  artistic  and  dig- 
nified manner.  The  bringing  of  the  head  of 
John  the  Baptist  upon  the  stage  followed  all 
European  precedent,  but  we  had  arranged, 
after  the  first  performance,  and  before  receipt 
of  your  letter,  that,  in  subsequent  performances, 
except  for  one  short  moment,  it  should  be  en- 
tirely hidden  from  the  view  of  the  audience. 

We  do  not  desire  to  go  into  the  question 
of  our  respective  legal  rights  in  this  matter, 
and  only  beg  leave  to  call  attention  to  the 
following  facts: 

(1)  We  refrained  from  producing  the  opera 
on  subscription  nights,  as  we  particularly 
wanted  to  avoid  imposing  it  on  any  unwilling 


312  THE   LIFE    OF    HEINRICH    CONRIED 

listener,  and  to  present  it  only  to  those  pur- 
posely going  to  hear  it. 

(2)  As  long  ago  as  last  October,  you  were 
advised  of  our  intention  to  perform  "Salome," 
but  neither  at  that  time,  nor  during  the  months 
of  rehearsals  at  the  Opera  House,  nor  after 
the  final  dress-rehearsal,  to  which  all  the  stock- 
holders of  the  Metropolitan  Real  Estate  Com- 
pany were  invited,  and  at  which  some  of  your 
Directors  were  present,  was  any  objection  made. 
It  was  not  until  three  days  after  the  first  per- 
formance, and  two  days  after  the  public  an- 
nouncement of  the  additional  performances, 
and  when  a  large  sale  of  tickets  had  already 
taken  place,  that  your  protest  reached  us.  We 
have  received  a  vast  number  of  letters  express- 
ing admiration  for  the  work,  or  a  desire  to 
hear  it  (amongst  others  from  several  clergy- 
men, and  from  some  of  the  highest  musical 
authorities  in  this  country)  ;  and  the  quantity 
and  quality  of  the  applications  for  tickets  for 
the  announced  performances  tend  to  show  that 
the  large  majority  of  the  music-loving  public 
of  New  York  are  desirous  to  hear  the  work, 
and  would  be  grievously  disappointed  at  its 
withdrawal. 

We  shall  not  speak  of  the  heavy  expenses 
and   commitments   which  we  have  incurred   in 


THE   LIFE   OF   HEINRICH   CONRIED  313 

connection  with  the  performance  of  this  opera, 
nor  of  the  very  considerable  loss,  and  possible 
litigation  in  which  its  withdrawal  would  in- 
volve us.  We  believe  we  may  justly  claim  that, 
in  our  administration  of  the  House  which  you 
have  leased  to  us,  we  have  at  all  times  shown 
ourselves  conscious  of  the  dignity  and  prestige 
of  the  Metropolitan  Opera,  and  we  may  be 
l^ermitted  to  state  that  we  have  in  this  spirit 
sacrificed  a  considerable  source  of  revenue  by 
declining  all  applications  for  balls  and  other 
entertainments  and  exhibitions,  such  as  used  to 
be  given  in  former  times  at  the  JNIetropolitan 
Opera  House,  confining  ourselves  strictly  to  its 
use  for  regular  operatic  performances  and  con- 
certs. No  financial  or  other  considerations 
would  have  induced  us  to  perform  "Salome" 
in  this  house,  had  we  not  felt  that  its  merit, 
as  a  superb  work  of  art,  entitled  it  to  be 
heard. 

In  conclusion,  we  beg  to  say  that  we  recog- 
nize, with  profound  appreciation,  the  debt 
which  the  musical  public  of  New  York  owes 
to  your  Board  for  the  splendid  service  which 
you  have  rendered  to  the  cause  of  art  by  erect- 
ing the  Metropolitan  Opera  House,  by  estab- 
lishing for  it  an  unparalleled  prestige  and  posi- 
tion, by  insisting,  from  the  beginning,  upon  the 


314  THE   LIFE   OF    HEINRICH    CONRIED 

highest  standard  of  operatic  performances,  and 
by  making  financial  sacrifices,  year  after  year, 
to  maintain  the  Opera  during  the  long  period 
when  Grand  Opera  in  New  York  meant  loss 
and  disappointment. 

Feeling  toward  your  Board  as  we  do,  we 
deeply  regret  its  disapprobation,  and  it  is  a 
matter  of  the  keenest  disappointment  to  us — 
as  it  doubtless  is  to  the  great  artists  who  have 
proven  their  admiration  of  and  enthusiasm  for 
the  work  by  their  superb  interpretations  of 
their  respective  parts — that  what  we  had  looked 
upon  as  a  genuine  artistic  achievement,  should 
meet  with  your  protest.  Though  sincerely 
convinced  of  the  justness  of  our  contention, 
we  shall  abide  by  whatever  may  be  your  final 
conclusion.  But  in  loyalty  and  good  faith 
to  the  composer,  who  gave  us  the  preference 
over  other  applicants  for  the  right  to  perform 
his  work,  to  the  splendid  singers  and  musicians, 
who  have  studied  and  worked  for  months  to 
produce  a  performance  rarely  equalled  in  the 
excellence  of  individual  accomplishment  and 
artistic  ensemble,  and,  finally,  to  the  thousands 
of  people  who  have  purchased  tickets,  we  are 
bound  earnestly  to  urge  that  you  will  recon- 
sider your  position,  at  least  to  the  extent  of 
acquiescing   in   the   three   performances    which 


THE   LIFE   OF   HEINRICH    CONRIED  315 

were  advertised,  and  for  which  tickets  had  al- 
ready been  sold  in  large  numbers  before  your 
letter  reached  us. 

Very  respectfully  yours, 
CoNRiED  Metropolitan  Oper^v  Company. 

At  a  meeting  held  at  the  offices  of  ^Mr. 
George  G.  Haven,  the  President,  it  was  found 
that  Mr.  Conried  had  a  number  of  supporters, 
among  them  Otto  H.  Kahn,  Robert  Goelet, 
R.  L.  Cottenet,  James  Speyer,  and  Henry 
Rogers  Winthrop;  but  the  majority  vote  car- 
ried the  day,  and  so  the  following  resolutions 
were  passed: 

Resolved,  That  while  the  Directors  of  tlie 
Metropolitan  Opera  and  Real  Estate  Company 
regret  the  disappointment  and  loss  which  may 
be  caused  the  Conried  Metropolitan  Opera 
Company,  they  cannot  in  any  way  either  modify 
or  withdraw  their  protest  of  January  25th,  and 
hereby  object,  in  accordance  with  Section  3 
of  the  lease,  to  the  performance  of  the  opera 
*'Salome"  in  the  Metropolitan  Opera  House. 

Resolved,  That  a  committee  of  three  be  ap- 
pointed by  the  President  to  confer  with  the 
Conried  Metropolitan  Opera  House  Company, 
as  to  what  proportion,  if  any,  of  the  expense 


316  THE    LIFE    OF    HEINRICH    CONRIED 

thus  far  incurred  in  the  opera  "Salome"  should 
equitably  be  borne  by  this  Company,  and  to 
report  the  recommendations  as  soon  as  prac- 
ticable to  this  Board. 

While  the  arguments  as  to  this  latter  clause 
were  being  subjected  to  a  close  scrutiny  by  the 
members  of  the  Board,  it  is  stated  that  Mr. 
Morgan  objected  to  the  expense  proposals 
being  left  in  abeyance;  that  rather  than  leave 
the  matter  in  an  unfinished  state,  he  declared 
he  should  prefer  to  pay  the  entire  loss  himself. 

After  its  withdrawal,  the  opera  was  not  again 
seen  in  New  York  until  Mr.  Hammerstein  was 
well  advanced  in  his  regime  at  the  Manhattan 
Opera  House. 


CHAPTER    IX 

The  End  op  Mr.  Conried's  Regime.  His  failing  health. 
His  relationship  with  some  of  the  Metropolitan  Di- 
rectors. Plans  for  the  new  season.  Talk  of  resigna- 
tion. An  interview  about  Opera  IManagement.  A  per- 
formance of  "Tristan  und  Isolde."  Caruso.  The 
Conried  Testimonial.  His  last  trip  abroad.  Mme. 
Rappold.  His  trained  nurse.  Conried's  death.  The 
return  voyage.  The  public  funeral.  Remarks  of 
Charles  Burnham.  Professor  Carpenter's  Funeral  Ad- 
dress.   Comments  of  the  Press. 

WHILE  preparations  were  being  made 
for  Mr.  Conried  to  go  abroad  during 
the  spring  of  1907,  it  was  recognized 
on  all  sides  that  his  health  was  failing  rapidly, 
and  that,  despite  his  willingness  and  ambition 
to  maintain  his  activities  at  the  usual  speed  of 
development,  he  would  be  obliged  to  relinquish 
his  hold  on  some  of  them.  One  of  the  first  con- 
siderations in  his  life  had  always  been  the  Irv- 
ing Place  Theatre,  but,  as  the  duties  of  the 
Impresario  engrossed  more  and  more  of  his 
time,  he  was  obliged,  bit  by  bit,  to  place  the 
responsibility  on  the  shoulders  of  those  regis- 
seurs  who  were  representing  him  in  Irving 
Place.  The  New  York  Herald,  of  April  9, 
1907,    made    the    announcement    of    Mr.    Con- 


318  THE    LIFE    OF    HEINRICH    CONRIED 

ried's  final  withdrawal  from  governing  the  pol- 
icy of  the  German  Theatre  in  New  York.  Not 
only  that,  but  even  when  he  was  sufficiently 
recovered  to  undertake  occasional  trips  to  his 
office,  Conried  was  accompanied  to  and  from 
his  house  by  a  trained  nurse,  Miss  Clark,  who 
first  met  him  at  the  Opera  House,  during  the 
latter  part  of  1906,  at  a  dress  rehearsal  of  "La 
Damnation  de  Faust."  The  "Salome"  incident, 
together  with  other  matters  of  policy,  had  served 
to  estrange  Mr.  Conried  from  much  sympathy 
and  support.  Many  were  disgruntled  by  the 
fact  that,  in  place  of  an  active  head  of  the 
Opera  House,  they  were  subject  to  one  who 
was  so  often  incapacitated  by  illness.  It  is 
very  evident,  not  only  in  notices  that  from  time 
to  time  crept  into  the  Press,  but  from  corre- 
spondence, that  Mr.  Conried  was  to  be  heckled 
by  his  Board  of  Governors,  and  it  looked  at 
times  as  though  efforts  were  being  exerted  to 
persuade  him  of  the  necessity  for  his  resigna- 
tion, even  though  his  contract  with  them  had  not 
3^et  aj)proached  its  termination.  On  the  other 
hand,  many  of  Mr.  Conried's  associates  called 
on  him  to  persuade  him  to  take  a  rest;  they 
assured  him  what  they  most  desired  was  his 
restoration  to  health,  and  his  continuance  at 
the  head  of  things.     The  tenor  of  the  following 


THE    LIFE    OF    HEINRICH    CONRIEl)  310 

note,  sent  to  Conried  from  Paris,  at  the  insti- 
gation of  a  group  of  the  Directors,  is  signifi- 
cant : 

The  Directors  are  informed  on  the  best  au- 
thority that  Campanini  is  and  has  been  all 
along  prepared,  upon  proper  invitation,  to  sign 
a  contract  with  our  Company  on  the  same  finan- 
cial terms  as  he  now  has  with  Hammerstein. 

It  has  been  reported  in  the  papers  that  Knote 
has  been  engaged  by  j^ou  for  twenty  perform- 
ances, at  $1,875  per  performance.  The  Direc- 
tors take  it  for  granted  that  this  report  is  en- 
tirely erroneous,  as  far  as  the  compensation  is 
concerned,  and  would  like  to  know  what  are  the 
terms   proposed   for   Knote's   engagement.      It 

is  also  reported  that  the  contract  with 

has  been  renewed  for  four  years;  as  far  as  they 
are  aware,  the  question  of  the  renewal  of  this 
contract  has  never  come  before  the  Executive 
Committee,  and  they  assume,  therefore,  that 
this  report  is  likewise  without  any  basis  in  fact. 

Mr.   Richard   Strauss  has   told   Mr.   

that  he,  as  well  as  his  publishers,  have  repeat- 
edly, but  vainly,  tried  to  get  into  communica- 
tion with  you,  and  that  offers  from  other  houses 
are  being  made  to  them  for  the  performance 
of  "Salome"  in  America.     Without  attaching 


320  THE   LIFE   OF   HEINRICH    CONRIED 

undue  importance  to  the  latter  information, 
would  it  not  be  well  to  conclude  arrangements 
for  "Salome,"  without  showing  eagerness,  but 
also  without  overmuch  delay? 

Have  you  considered  the  question  of  pro- 
ducing Strauss's  "Feuersnote"  ?  The  Directors 
do  not  wish  to  be  understood  to  be  recom- 
mending this,  as  they  do  not  know  the  opera, 
but  merely  would  like  to  know  your  views  re- 
garding the  question. 

Trusting  that  your  recovery  is  progressing 
steadily  .  .  . 

When  he  went  abroad,  Mr.  Conried  was  prac- 
tically under  the  care  of  a  Swiss  medical  expert, 
and  while  the  public  fully  comprehended  the  pre- 
cariousness  of  his  health,  in  no  way  was  his 
indisposition  regarded  as  a  detriment  to  the 
following  out  of  his  foreign  opera  policy.  In 
fact,  Conried  was  regarded  by  musical  circles 
in  Germany  and  in  Austria  even  then  as  an 
ever-increasing  peril,  inasmuch  as  he  had  at 
his  disposal  sufficient  resources  to  take  from 
the  foreign  opera  houses  the  very  cream  of 
their  singers.  It  must  not  be  forgotten,  as 
Mr.  Finck  has  pointed  out,  that  from  Vienna 
came  Edyth  Walker;  from  Berlin,  Farrar; 
from  Munich,    Ternina,   Morena,    Knote,   and 


A    CARTOON    IMPRESSION-    OF    COXRIKD 


THE   IJFE    OF   HEINRICir    CONRIED  321 

Reiss.  The  Vienna  newspaper,  Zeit,  even  went 
so  far  as  to  suggest  that  a  "Dh-ectors'  Trust'* 
be  formed  against  Conried;  for,  not  only  was 
the  Impresario  taking  their  singers  from  them, 
but  he  was  likewise  reaching  out  for  the  Direc- 
tors— Mottl  in  Munich,  and  Mahler  in  Vienna. 

Mr.  Conried  went  immediately  to  his  home 
in  Steinach,  where  he  did  most  of  his  work, 
and  was  under  the  constant  supervision  of  his 
trained  nurse.  The  mode  of  life  he  lived  and 
the  personal  interests  that  helped  him  during 
his  periods  of  rest — for  Conried  scarcely  ever 
took  a  real  vacation — were  simple.  He  rev- 
elled in  card-playing,  and  in  entertaining  his 
friends  with  the  latest  card  trick  which  he  may 
have  been  taught  by  some  prestidigitateur. 
Suffice  it  to  say  that,  in  spite  of  his  illness, 
the  plans  for  the  new  season  rapidly  pro- 
gressed, however  much  he  may  have  been  lim- 
ited in  his  ideas  regarding  novelties.  There 
was,  in  fact,  only  one  novelty,  Francesco  Cilea's 
"Adriana  Lecouvreur,"  with  Lena  Cavalieri  in 
the  title  role  (November  18,  1907). 

All  during  the  final  year  of  harassment,  which 
included  innuendoes  on  the  part  of  various 
people  concerning  Conried's  policy  as  an  Im- 
presario, the  stricken  Director  was  receiving 
letters  from  his  admirers,  deploring  his  absence 


322  THE   LIFE   OF   HEINRICH    CONRIED 

from  the  Metropolitan,  and  showing  their  loy- 
alty in  many  ways.  They  longed  once  more 
for  the  iron  hand  which  had  ruled  the  Opera 
House.  As  if  further  to  increase  his  immediate 
anxiety,  his  correspondence  with  a  brother  in 
South  America  by  no  means  helped  to  quiet  his 
mind. 

When  Mr.  Conried  returned  to  New  York 
for  his  fifth  season,  his  health  scarcely  improved 
by  expert  care,  it  became  evident  to  his  friends, 
and  even  to  his  own  persistently  courageous 
spirit,  that  he  had  reached  the  point  where  he 
would  be  unable  to  cope  with  the  ever  new 
problems  and  endless  minor  difficulties  of  the 
Opera  House.  He  was  now  almost  continually 
on  crutches.  Although  finally  persuaded  that 
his  resignation  would  at  last  be  necessary,  the 
Impresario,  against  all  advice,  determined  to 
finish  out  the  season,  and  he  managed  still  to 
keep  a  firm  hand  on  details.  A  friend  who 
at  this  time  went  with  him  to  an  evening  per- 
formance of  "Tristan  und  Isolde,"  says: 

Mr.  Conried  entered  the  box  on  crutches,  and 
dropped  heavily  in  a  chair.  He  was  obviously 
very  ill.  But  he  watched  the  stage  as  if  he 
were  observing  its  drama  for  the  first  time. 
Presently  he   frowned,   and   pressed  a  button. 


THE   LIl'E   OF    HEINRICH    CONRIED  323 

To  the  attendant  he  gave  directions  that  the 
footlights  should  be  further  lowered.  Softly 
their  light  dimmed  a  moment  after;  and  the 
delicacy  of  the  scene  was  marvelously  enhanced. 
Again  and  again  the  slave  of  the  button  was 
summoned,  and  Mr.  Conried  ordered  some 
change  of  lighting  or  some  electrical  effect,  or 
some  precaution  for  the  next  scene.  It  was  as 
a  matter  of  fact  one  of  those  nights  when  every 
singer  seemed  in  especially  fine  fettle;  w^hen  he 
stage  pictures  and  illusions  seemed  achieved  to 
the  heart's  desire,  and  the  audience  sympatheti- 
cally appreciative. 

At  the  close,  Mr.  Conried  turned  to  me,  his 
sunken  eyes  sparkling:  "Aus  geseichnet.  Nicht 
wahr!" 

This  little  incident  in  itself  throws  an  inter- 
esting light  on  the  way  in  which,  even  during 
an  actual  performance,  the  Impresario  from 
his  box  could  make  changes  and  give  directions 
without  perceptibly  halting  anything. 

It  is  scarcely  incumbent  upon  us  to  go  into 
details  of  the  new  season,  inasmuch  as  INIr. 
Conried's  health  became  so  precarious — an  ill- 
ness which  the  doctor's  described  as  sciatic  neuri- 
tis— that,  on  February  11,  1908,  he  was  forced 
to  resign. 


324  THE    LIFE    OF    HEINRICH    CONRIED 

It  is  useless  to  enter  into  a  discussion  of  the 
details  attendant  upon  the  resignation  of  Mr. 
Conried,  inasmuch  as  they  involved  business  con- 
ditions that  had  nothing  to  do  with  the  pros 
and  cons  of  the  Impresario's  artistic  regime. 
The  correspondence  between  him  and  the  Direc- 
tors was  voluminous,  and  covered  many  ques- 
tions of  financial  management  and  legal  de- 
fining. The  case  of  Mr.  Conried  against  the 
Conried  Opera  Company  involved  a  long  and 
tedious  discussion  before  matters  were  finally 
brought  to  a  satisfactory  issue.  It  was  the 
newspapers,  however,  that  strove  in  every  way 
to  make  it  appear  to  the  public  as  though  in- 
superable misunderstandings  existed  between 
Conried  and  the  Directors.  But  every  time 
such  rumor  was  spread  abroad,  Conried  would 
be  reassured  of  the  good-will  of  the  Directors 
by  some  testimonial.  It  was  after  the  death 
of  Mr.  Conried  that  his  widow,  for  the  sum  of 
$58,000,  settled  the  claims  of  her  husband 
against  the  Metropolitan  Opera  Company. 

At  this  juncture  there  was  another  argument 
among  the  members  of  the  Board  of  Directors 
as  to  who  should  fill  the  remaining  time  of  Mr. 
Conried's  contract,  and  after  the  resignation 
was  acted  upon,*  the  companj^  was  immediately 

*  On  Conried's  resifrnation  see  N.  Y.  Times,  Januaiy  SI,  1908, 
and  N.  Y.  Herald,  February  12,  1908. 


THE   LIFE   OF    HEINRICH    CONRIEI)  325 

reorganized,  with  Giulio  Gatti-.Casazza  and 
Andreas  Dippel  as  joint  Directors.  During 
the  discussion  of  Mr.  Conried's  successor,  Mr. 
Juillard  was  firm  in  his  determination  that  no 
one  should  he  appointed  without  the  endorse- 
ment of  the  Director. 

Whatever  may  have  been  the  attitude  of 
some  of  the  members  of  the  Real  Estate  and 
Opera  Board,  there  is  no  doubt  that  as  a  body 
they  were  grateful  to  Mr.  Conried  for  the 
amount  of  work  he  had  done — gratefulness 
which  found  expression  in  framed  Resolutions, 
signed  on  April  3,  1908,  by  the  Metropolitan 
Real  Estate  Company,  and  sent  to  him.  In 
the  meanwhile,  Mr.  Conried  allowed  himself 
to  be  interviewed  in  the  New  York  Herald  of 
February  16,  1908,  in  which  he  exclaimed  that 
the  game  of  opera  management  was  not  worth 
the  candle. 

"When  I  took  hold  of  this  institution,  what 
do  you  think  was  the  state  of  affairs?"  he  asked. 
"The  stage  had  not  a  single  properly  placed 
trap.  Its  system  of  electric  lighting  was  the 
most  primitive,  its  stage  mechanism  and  meth- 
ods were  absolutely  primitive.  ...  I  started 
in  to  revolutionize  the  whole  system  of  con- 
ducting opera  as  it  had  been  bequeathed  to  me 
by  Maurice  Grau.     Instead  of  employing  the 


326  THE    LIFE    OF    HEINRICH    CONRIED 

stage  hands  for  only  a  few  months  during  the 
short  season  of  Opera,  I  made  them  an  efficient 
corps,  well  drilled,  hy  increasing  their  number 
and  efficiency,  and  by  employing  them  for  the 
entire  year.  I  extended  the  term  for  the  en- 
gagement of  the  orchestra  so  that  rehearsals 
could  be  held  weeks  before  the  season  began, 
and  the  chorus  was  also  employed  for  a  longer 
time." 

Then  Mr.  Conried  emphasized  the  fact  that 
he  had  so  far  recast  the  repertoire,  there  was 
no  longer  any  need  for  endless  repetitions  of 
the  same  opera.  This  called  for  a  great  deal 
of  careful  planning,  and  was  rewarded,  on  his 
part,  by  the  success  of  a  sj'^stem  which  never 
repeated  on  the  same  subscription  night  during 
a  season  the  same  opera,  unless  a  sudden  change 
of  cast  made  the  repetition  desirable.  He  con- 
tinued: "There  was  the  establishment  of  the 
Opera  School,  which  has  succeeded  in  making 
it  possible  to  have  excellent  choruses  in  'Meis- 
tersinger,'  'The  Flying  Dutchman,'  and  'Ma- 
non,'  and  the  pupils  of  which  have  appeared 
to  excellent  advantage  as  Flower  Maidens  in 
'Parsifal.' " 

Conried  was  frank  in  his  declaration  that  he 
thought  it  impossible  for  New  York  to  sustain 
two  opera  houses  at  the  same  time,  and  he  de- 


THE   LIFE    OF    HEINRICH    CONRIED  327 

clared  that  his  last  season  at  the  IMetro^iolitan 
had  cost  over  a  million  and  a  half  dollars  in 
expenses. 

"It  has  been  remarked  that  a  spirit  of  com- 
mercialism has  prevailed  here  during  the  pres- 
ent regime.  This  criticism,"  he  declared,  "is 
unjust  and  foolish.  I  shared  in  the  profits  of 
the  company  more  than  any  other  person;  so, 
if  I  had  run  this  opera  house  in  such  a  way 
as  to  make  the  financial  results  as  large  as  pos- 
sible, if  I  had  managed  it  with  primary  regard 
for  the  dollars,  I  assure  you  that  I  could  have 
made  a  fortune  by  my  share  of  its  profits  and 
salary." 

But,  as  Mr.  Conried  naively  remarked,  his 
fortune  was  nowhere  within  his  immediate 
sight. 

Caruso,  on  hearing  of  his  resignation,  wrote: 

"Please  accept  the  expression  of  my  sincere 
regret  at  your  retirement  from  a  j)osition  which 
you  have  filled  with  so  much  honor,  ability  and 
assiduity,  in  the  interests  of  art  and  its  devel- 
opment in  this  country.  I  assure  you,  my  dear 
Mr.  Conried,  that  I  shall  always  retain  the 
most  pleasant  recollections  of  our  mutual  re- 
lations, both  personal  and  professional." 

Whatever  the  complications,  and  whatever 
the    feeling   directed   against    Mr.    Conried    by 


328  THE   LIFE   or    HEINRICH    CONRIED 

individuals,  nevertheless,  when  the  time  came 
for  a  Conried  Testimonial,  on  Tuesday  evening, 
March  24,  1908,  at  which  most  of  the  "stars" 
appeared,  the  loyalty  of  the  Conried  public 
was  seen  by  the  fact  that  the  box-office  receipts 
amounted  to  $19,119. 

In  addition,  whether  or  not  there  were  busi- 
ness difficulties  with  the  organization  Mr.  Con- 
ried represented,  the  Directors  of  the  Metro- 
politan took  this  time  to  present  him  with  a 
silver  loving-cup  as  a  mark  of  their  esteem. 

To  judge  by  the  correspondence  preserved 
of  the  last  two  years  of  Mr.  Conried's  life,  it 
may  readily  be  seen  that  his  friends  were  fully 
aware  of  his  critical  condition,  however  much 
they  may  have  hoped  that  the  constant  attend- 
ance of  various  experts  might  result  in  a  favor- 
able chance  for  him.  He  went  abroad,  finally, 
in  the  spring  of  1908,*  accompanied  by  his  wife, 
his  trained  nurse  and  his  son.  He  was  'ner- 
vously overwrought,  and,  in  his  effort  to  find  a 
suitable  climate,  he  was  continually  shifting  his 
residence.  In  July,  1908,  he  visited  his  sister, 
Mrs.  Lena  Essler,  in  Vienna.  In  February, 
we  find  him  in  the  Tyrolian  Mountains,  at 
Meran,  a  famous  watering-place  in  the  valley 
of  the  Adige,  at  an  altitude  of  1,050  feet  above 

*  See  N.  Y.  Evening  Post,  editorial,  April  27,  1909. 


THE    LIFE    OF    HEINRICH    CONRIED  329 

the  sea.  It  is  x3rotected  by  mountains  tliat 
rise  ten  thousand  feet  above  the  town.  It  is 
dry,  cold,  well-sheltered,  and  is  j^articularly 
favored  as  a  winter  and  spring  resort. 

JMadame  Rappold,  who  was  much  with  Con- 
ried  at  this  time,  says: 

"I  know  that  he  himself  believed  he  would 
get  well.  He  was  the  most  patient  of  suffer- 
ers. Every  day  he  would  walk,  and  every  day 
a  little  farther.  We  woidd  count  his  steps. 
And  how  I  wished  for  his  recovery!  He  had 
done  all  for  me.  What  I  am,  I  owe  to  him. 
He  had  the  courage  to  put  an  American  singer 
on  the  Metropolitan  stage,  and  he  did  many 
fine  things  that  he  kept  secret." 

Not  only  on  the  testimony  of  his  trained 
nurse,  but  on  the  constant  reiteration  of  his 
many  friends,  it  is  well  to  emphasize  a  marked 
characteristic  of  Heinrich  Conried  during  this 
time.  While  he  was  sick,  he  was  a  perfect 
child  in  heart.  One  never  felt  lonely  in  his 
presence.  Sometimes,  as  he  sat  in  his  wheel- 
chair, he  would  put  a  shawl  over  his  head  and 
play  that  he  was  an  old  woman,  or  rumple  his 
hair  and  say  that  he  was  the  bust  of  Beethoven, 
which,  for  so  many  years,  occupied  a  place  of 
honor  above  the  door  of  Schirmers,  the  music 
publishers,  in  New  York. 


330  THE    LIFE    OF    HEINRICH    CONRIED 

On  March  30th  he  was  at  the  Hotel  Du 
Cap  Ampeglio  Bordighera,  Italy,  and,  finding 
no  relief  from  the  pain  which  so  constantly 
weakened  him,  he  returned  to  Meran,  where 
he  was  stricken  with  paralysis,  and  with  in- 
flammation of  the  lungs.  Here  it  was  that  he 
died  on  April  27,  1909.  Even  in  his  death, 
the  Metropolitan  Opera  House  profited,  inas- 
much as  his  life  was  insured  by  them  for 
$150,000. 

No  sooner  did  the  news  of  Mr.  Conried's 
death  reach  America  than  pressure  was  imme- 
diately brought  to  bear  on  Mrs.  Conried  to 
consent  to  a  public  funeral.  She  finally  cabled 
her  willingness,  and  Mr.  Dippel,  then  admin- 
istrative manager  of  the  Metropolitan,  in  the 
name  of  the  Directors,  offered  the  Opera  House. 

On  May  11th,  the  Kronprinzessin  Cecilie, 
carrying  Conried's  body,  Mrs.  Conried,  and 
their  son  Richard,  arrived  in  New  York.  This 
trip  back  was  to  have  been  the  Impresario's 
hundredth  voyage,  and  his  death  came  as  a 
personal  loss  to  the  Directors  of  the  line.  A 
dramatic  coincidence  was  the  Cecilie's  meeting, 
as  she  approached  her  pier,  the  outward-bound 
Kronprince  Wilhelm,  carrying  many  artists 
who  had  sung  at  the  Metropolitan  under  Con- 
ried's management — Scotti,  Zenatello,  the  tenor 


THE   LIFE   OF   HEINRICH   CONRIED  331 

lent  by  Hammerstein,  Maria  Gay,  and  Geral- 
dine  Farrar,  whom  Conried  had  first  presented. 

The  body  was  taken  to  the  Conried  home, 
where  it  remained  until  May  13th,  the  date  set 
for  the  funeral. 

Four  thousand  invitations  to  the  services  were 
issued,  and  the  supply  was  immediately  ex- 
hausted. At  least  twice  that  number  of  per- 
sons endeavored  to  gain  admittance,  while  a 
body  of  police  tried  to  keep  the  crowds  in  or- 
der. The  funeral  cortege  passed  down  Broad- 
way toward  the  Metropolitan  Oj)era  House, 
and  people  stood  on  the  sidewalk  with  uncov- 
ered heads  all  along  the  route. 

The  doors  of  the  Metropolitan  were  opened 
some  time  before  the  hour  set  for  the  services. 
The  immense  auditorium  was  in  darkness,  ex- 
cept for  the  stage,  and  the  great  crowd  waited 
in  silence.  The  stage  itself  was  set  for  the 
second  act  of  Verdi's  "Falstaff,"  with  added 
funereal  touches,  most  conspicuously  placed  in 
the  centre  of  the  stage  being  a  catafalque  of 
six  steps,  covered  with  black  cloth,  and  standing 
seven  feet  high.  It  took  over  four  thousand 
yards  of  black  crepe  to  cover  the  proscenium 
arch.  The  catafalque  was  literally  banked  in 
floral  decorations  and  cut  flowers. 

At  the  home  of  the  Conried  family,  the  ortho- 


332  THE   LIFE   OF    HEINRICH    CONRIED 

dox  funeral  services  of  the  Jewish  church  were 
conducted,  inasmuch  as  Mr.  Conried  was  him- 
self a  devout  Jew.  The  officiating  minister 
was  Edward  Karlsclimaroff,  Rabbi  of  Benai 
Jeshurum,  who  had  married  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Con- 
ried. Only  members  of  the  family  and  intimate 
friends  were  present. 

After  that,  the  steel  coffin,  completely  cov- 
ered with  white  and  purple  lilacs,  was  taken  to 
the  Opera  House,  where  it  rested  from  ten 
o'clock  until  noon,  guarded  on  both  sides  by 
seven  candles,  according  to  the  Jewish  law.  At 
the  head  of  the  catafalque  stood  a  bronze  bust 
of  the  Impresario.  Aniong  the  many  floral 
tokens  were  those  sent  by  Mr.  and  Mrs.  An- 
dreas Dippel,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Otto  Weil,  Mr. 
Edward  Seidl,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Emil  Boas,  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Henry  Morgenthau,  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Samuel  Untermeyer,  Mr.  Otto  H.  Kahn,  and 
hundreds  of  small,  carefully  selected  sheafs  of 
blossoms,  sent  by  those  whom  the  dead  manager 
at  some  time  in  their  career  had  helped. 

The  programme  had  been  arranged  as  fol- 
lows : 

At  ten  thirty,  Bach's  Funeral  Dirge,  and 
several  other  selections,  were  rendered,  until 
the  arrival  of  the  funeral  party.  It  was  then 
that  the  Metropolitan  Opera  Orchestra  played 


THE   LIFE   OF    HEINRICH    CONRIED  333 

Beethoven's  Funeral  March,  from  the  "Eroica 
Symphony,"  while  the  cortege,  headed  by  the 
Reverend  Dr.  Stephen  S.  Wise,  and  Professor 
William  H.  Carpenter,  of  Columbia  Univer- 
sity, entered  the  Opera  House.  After  a  Scrip- 
tural reading,  the  Parsifal  Choir  rendered  Ten- 
nyson's "Crossing  the  Bar." 

Just  before  the  funeral  address,  Mr.  Charles 
Burnham,  representing  the  Theatrical  Managers' 
Association,  said  a  few  words  of  eulogj%  He 
spoke  of  "Heinrich  Conried,  public  servant,  to 
whom  we  gather  to  pay  a  farewell  tribute."  It 
was  apx^ropriate,  he  said,  that  the  last  honor 
should  be  paid  him  in  the  place  where  he  reached 
the  zenith  of  his  fame.  "He  served  the  public 
faithfully  and  well,  and  nothing  more  ajDpro- 
priate  could  be  placed  on  his  tomb  than  the 
words,  'Well  done,  thou  good  and  faithful 
servant.' " 

It  fell  to  the  lot  of  Professor  Carpenter,  his 
close  friend  during  the  period  when  ]Mr.  Con- 
ried was  making  his  reputation  as  Director  of 
the  Irving  Place  Theatre,  to  deliver  the  funeral 
address.  As  he  outlined  the  dead  man's  career 
and  ideals,  his  voice  shook  with  emotion: 

It  is  difficult  for  me  to  speak  at  this  time 
of  Heinrich  Conried — mucli  more  difficult  than 


334  THE   LIFE   OF   HEINKICH    CONKIED 

I  had  thought  could  well  be  the  case,  for  he 
was  the  close  friend  of  many  years,  and  as  I 
have  been  sitting  here,  so  many  memories  of  a 
friendship,  singularly  unbroken  and  unclouded, 
have  crowded  in  upon  me,  that  I  am  almost 
overwhelmed  at  the  sense  of  my  personal  loss 
ill  his  untimely  death. 

My  memory  goes  back  to  the  days  when  I 
first  saw  him,  a  j^oung  actor  of  brilliant  prom- 
ise at  the  Stadt  Theater,  In  Leipzig,  when  I 
was  a  student  of  no  particular  promise  at  the 
University  in  that  ancient  city.  When,  a  num- 
ber of  years  after,  I  had  come  back  to  Amer- 
ica, and  subsequently  to  New  York,  to  take  up 
a  position  in  Columbia  College,  I  found  him 
the  actor-manager  that  he  had  become  in  the 
city  of  his  adoption.  The  Leipzig  days  and  the 
German  stage  were  the  germs  of  an  acquaint- 
anceship that  soon  ripened  into  a  friendship 
that  is  one,  and  will  ever  be  one,  of  the  fra- 
grant memories  of  my  life. 

I  knew  from  many  sides  this  many-sided 
man.  I  knew  him,  as  many  of  you  have  known 
him,  as  an  actor  of  extraordinary  ability  and 
insight;  as  the  manager  who,  on  account  of  his 
training  as  an  actor  in  the  best  schools,  had 
an  appreciation  of  the  stage  that  can  come  in 
that  way  alone;   as   the  eager,   ambitious,   and 


THE   LIFE   OF   HEINRICH    CONRIED  335 

apparently  self-centred  man  of  affairs  in  a 
commercial  city.  But  I  knew  him,  too,  as  I 
think  not  all  of  you  have  known  him — as  a 
scholar  and  as  an  idealist. 

By  training,  he  had  become  the  scholar. 
For  the  old  world  idea  of  the  dignity  of  the 
calling  of  the  actor  is  not  that  he  shall  merely 
know  the  lines  of  the  play  that  he  acts,  to  de- 
liver them,  but  that  he  shall  know  in  very  truth 
whereof  he  speaks.  And  I  found  him  a  store- 
house of  ideas  on  the  inner  significance  of  the 
many  plays  in  the  extraordinary  repertory  of 
the  German  stage,  living  and  acute  beyond  any 
written  commentary,  and  with  an  intimate 
knowledge  of  the  history  and  the  tendencies 
of  the  German  drama,  and  of  dramatic  litera- 
ture, more  personal  and  intimate  than  I  had 
ever  found  in  books. 

By  temperament  he  was  an  idealist,  for,  in 
whatever  he  did,  however  sordid  and  business- 
like it  might  have  appeared  on  the  surface, 
there  was  inevitably  back  of  it  and  beyond  it 
the  undying  fire  of  ideality. 

His  untiring  efforts  at  the  little  German 
theatre  in  Irving  Place,  and  in  this  great  Met- 
ropolitan Temple  of  Music,  were  only  means 
to  an  end — the  necessary  means  to  an  ideal  end 
— that  always  beckoned  him  upward  and  on- 


336  THE   LIFE    OF    HEINRICH    CONRIED 

ward — something  better  beyond  that  led  to  re- 
newed effort  and  to  higher  aspirations.  And 
this  is  as  I  like  to  think  of  him  to-day — as  the 
scholar  and  the  idealist — and  it  is  as  others, 
too,  will  like  to  think  of  him,  now  and  in  the 
days  to  come,  for  I  am  not  alone  in  this  esti- 
mate of  him.  When  the  Irving  Place  Theatre 
had  become,  as  it  presently  did  become  under 
his  efficient  management,  a  notable  place  for 
the  performance  of  German  plays,  he  was  first 
asked  by  Columbia,  and  then  by  others  of  the 
great  universities  and  colleges  of  the  country 
...  to  lecture  before  them  on  the  German 
drama,  and  to  produce  under  their  own  aus- 
pices the  classics  of  the  German  stage. 

All  this  he  did  ably,  and  in  truth  memorably, 
without  any  thought  of  remuneration,  but  as 
done  in  the  service  of  the  art  which  was  his 
calling,  whose  knowledge  it  was  the  desire  of 
his  heart  to  foster,  and  whose  ideals  it  was  the 
ideal  of  his  life  to  set  on  high. 

This  is  the  man  of  whom  we  think  to-day,  a 
man  of  his  day  and  generation  who  firmly  trod 
the  earth  in  a  worldly  and  materialistic  com- 
munity, but  whose  eyes  were  ever  directed  to 
the  stars.  This  is  the  memory  that  he  has  left, 
irrevocable,  ineffaceable  in  the  minds  of  many 


THE   LIFE    OF   HEINRICH    CONRIEn  337 

of  US  who  will  look  upward,  too,  the  more  for 
the  example  of  his  living. 

At  the  close  of  this  oration,  Handel's  "Largo" 
was  sung  by  ^Ime.  Rappold,  Mme.  Homer,  and 
Messrs.  Martini  and  Blass,  accompanied  by  the 
Metropolitan  Orchestra.  After  which.  Dr.  Wise 
delivered  an  address,  the  chief  tenor  of  which 
was  that  Conried  was  a  dreamer  who  accom- 
plished great  things  for  music,  drama,  and 
literature. 

The  choir  then  rendered  the  "Amen"  from 
"Parsifal,"  and,  to  the  strains  of  Chopin's 
"Funeral  ^March,"  the  cortege  passed  out  of 
the  Metropolitan  on  its  way  to  Cypress  Hills 
Cemetery,  Brooklyn. 

Mrs.  Conried  was  j^rostrated  by  the  death 
of  her  husband.  Thereafter  she  would  never 
pass  the  Metropolitan  Opera  House,  and  it 
was  noted  by  many  of  her  family  and  by  her 
friends  that  she  rarely  forgot  the  sting  of  her 
loss. 

The  Press  throughout  the  civilized  world  was 
unanimous  in  its  glowing  tributes  to  the  artistic 
activity  of  Heinrich  Conried.  One  German 
paper  called  attention  to  the  fact  that  his  ex- 
cellence was  wonderfully  reflected  in  the  re- 
marks made  by  Prince  Henry,  after  his  visit 


338  THE   LIFE    OF    HEINRICH    CONRIED 

to  New  York,  when  he  exclaimed  that  his  even- 
ing at  the  Irving  Place  Theatre  was  his  most 
pleasant  evening  spent  in  America.  In  Vienna, 
the  Press  marvelled  at  Conried's  vigorous  pur- 
suit of  foreign  stars,  and  deplored  the  fact  that 
no  European  manager  was  able  to  keep  pace 
with  him.  Pollini,  in  Hamburg,  tried  to  imitate 
him,  but  without  success. 


I 


CHAPTER    X 

HEINRICH    CONRIED,    THE    MAN 

A  MAN'S  earthly  immortality  depends  on 
the  impression  he  leaves  behind  him 
among  his  friends.  A  man's  artistic 
worth  is  measured  by  the  sum-total  of  the  best 
and  most  unprejudiced  critical  and  public  opin- 
ion held  of  him.  In  both  these  respects,  Hein- 
rich  Conried  measures  large  and  distinctive. 
It  is  difficult  for  a  man,  occupying  such  a 
position  as  he  occupied,  to  escape  personal 
animosity  on  the  one  hand,  and  unfounded 
gossip  on  the  other.  When  a  biographer  is 
confronted  with  conflicting  opinions  from  peo- 
ple of  equal  importance,  it  is  difficult  to  do 
anything  more  than  to  place  dependence  on  the 
wheat  rather  than  on  the  chaff. 

Therefore,  it  is  a  pleasure,  in  retrospect,  to 
give  a  picture  of  Mr.  Conried,  not  from  the 
standpoint  of  what  critics,  with  possibly  some 
judicial  justification,  have  scored  him  for,  as 
Director  and  Impresario,  but  from  the  stand- 
point of  close  friends,  who  have  viewed  ^Ir. 
Conried  at  various  times  in  his  life,  offguard 

339 


340  THE   LIFE    OF    HEINRICH    CONRIED 

as  it  were.  It  is  such  a  view  that  affords 
one  an  opportunity  of  measuring  the  true 
man.  His  personality  is  reflected  in  the  gap 
it  leaves  behind  him  when  he  is  not  present, 
and  there  is  scarcely  one  of  Mr.  Conried's 
friends,  with  whom  I  have  spoken,  who  has 
not  emphasized  their  personal  loss  in  his  death, 
who  has  not  declared  that  in  his  presence  all 
things  took  on  a  warmer  and  a  more  human 
aspect. 

It  is  among  friends  that  a  man  shows  whether 
or  not  he  is  "a  jolly  good  fellow,"  and  on  the 
testimony  of  the  numerous  men  who  used  to 
gather  around  the  Philosopher's  Table  at 
Fleischmann's,  on  the  testimony  of  friends 
who  have  met  him  abroad  and  found  that,  for 
their  personal  comfort,  he  had  planned  their 
whole  stay,  inasmuch  as  he  knew  more  about 
the  unique  and  interesting  places  in  Europe 
than  they  did — on  the  testimony  of  all  of  these, 
he  was  ever  a  friend  in  need  and  a  friend  in 
deed. 

He  was  as  charitable  with  some  as  he  was 
stern  and  unyielding  with  others.  And  if  there 
are  people  who  think  him  to  have  been  aristo- 
cratic and  domineering  in  his  attitude,  who  have 
declared  that  he  scored  the  minor  people  in 
his  employ,  and  always  "played  up"  to  those 


THE   LIFE    OF    HEINRICH    CONRIED  341 

in  power,  let  it  be  said  that,  throughout  his 
illness,  JNIr.  Conried  was  always  concerned  as 
to  the  welfare  of  the  wardrobe  mistress  at  the 
Metropolitan  Opera  House,  Madame  Louise 
Musaeus.  Some  of  the  most  loyal  letters,  writ- 
ten to  him  at  this  time,  have  come  from  her. 

There  is  no  telling  what  it  is  that  prompts 
a  man's  likes  and  dislikes,  unless  certain  poli- 
cies and  attitudes  are  so  pronounced  as  to  de- 
termine them.  We  know,  for  instance,  that 
Mr.  Conried  was  on  very  friendly  terms  witli 
Madame  Bloom feld-Zeisler,  but  I  want  to  be- 
lieve that,  apart  from  his  admiration  for  her 
work  as  a  j)ianist,  his  loyalty  to  her  was  some- 
what prompted  by  the  fact  that  here,  in 
America,  she  had  an  inner  sympathy  with  him, 
inasmuch  as  she  was  born  in  his  home  town. 

On  the  testimony  of  his  admirers,  the  domi- 
nant note  sounded  is  that  Heinrich  Conried  was 
a  great  friend.  "In  our  thirty-five  years'  asso- 
ciation," said  Judge  Dittenhoefer,  who  was 
Conried's  lawyer  on  all  occasions,  "we  had  no 
differences.  I  never  knew  a  truer,  a  more  cor- 
dial gentleman." 

Whatever  the  jealousies  and  pettj^  concerns 
that  surrounded  him  in  his  official  capacity, 
Conried  always  succeeded  in  calling  fortli  from 
his    artists   the    strongest    and    firmest   loyalty. 


342  THE    LIFE   OF    HEINRICH    CONRIED 

Although  he  might  say,  as  someone  once  heard 
him  say,  that  "if  he  was  regarded  as  a  Czar, 
he  might  just  as  well  live  up  to  his  reputation," 
there  is  no  doubt  that,  among  his  professional 
associates,  he  could  never  have  obtained  the  bulk 
of  work  from  them  he  did  obtain,  unless  there 
had  been  some  magnetism  by  which  he  com- 
municated his  enthusiasm  to  others.  While  I 
have  had  varied  explanations,  as  to  his  firmness 
and  aloofness,  from  actors  at  the  Irving  Place 
Theatre,  I  have  had  likewise  certain  exclama- 
tions, reminiscent  of  the  one  already  quoted, 
coming  from  Mr.  von  Seyffertitz:  "God,  how 
they  loved  and  hated  him!"  We  find  those 
who  succeeded  Mr.  Conried  working  indefatiga- 
bly  for  him.  His  staff  at  the  Metropolitan, 
headed  by  Goerlitz,*  carried  the  brunt  of  all 
the  work  on  their  shoulders,  so  as  to  save  the 
Impresario  from  any  unnecessary  strain  and 
stress. 

At  the  Irving  Place  Theatre,  though  Mr. 
Conried  was  busy  behind  the  scenes,  in  front 
there  was  a  large  family  of  friends  with  whom 
he  often  mingled — among  them  being  Mr.  Her- 
man Ridder  and  Mr.  Carl  Schurz.  At  the 
card  table,  one  can  picture  him  playing  pinochle 

*  Mr.  Goerlitz,  after  his  retirement  from  the  Metropolitan 
Opera  House,  purchased  a  farm  in  California,  where  he  died 
during  the  month  of  December,  1915. 


THE   LIFE    OF    HEINRICH    CONRIED  343 

with  Joseffy,  or  with  Alexander  Lambert,  an 
interesting  musical  figure  in  New  York.  He 
had  that  power  of  drawing  from  his  friends  the 
most  genial  side  of  them.  He  had  that  valu- 
able asset,  which  characterizes  the  born  business 
man,  of  getting  from  his  associates  their  whole 
effort,  whether  in  business  or  pleasure.  During 
his  last  illness  the  loyalty  of  friends  and  rela- 
tives was  uppermost.  They  sank  their  official 
regard  for  him  in  a  higher  concern  for  the  wel- 
fare of  the  man.  We  find  the  devotion  of  his 
wife  and  son,  the  wonderful  concern  of  his 
brother-in-law,  Mr.  Henry  Sperling,  the  grief- 
stricken  anxiety  of  his  old  friend,  Mr.  Carl 
Hermann,  with  whom,  as  a  young  man,  he 
used  to  keep  house,  and  finally,  after  his  death, 
the  widespread  expression  of  grief  at  the  loss 
of  his  invigorating  personality. 

Yet  this  little  man,  with  his  high-heeled  suede 
boots,  his  nervous,  artistic  hands,  his  keen,  pene- 
trating eyes,  and  his  broad,  sharply  marked 
German  face,  did  not  die  without  the  highest 
honors  having  been  bestowed  upon  him  in  rec- 
ognition of  his  undoubted  abilities.  We  have 
already  given  some  idea  of  the  power  of  the 
Irving  Place  Theatre  during  his  regime,  and 
we  have  likewise  emphasized  sufficiently  the  im- 
portance  of   the    Impresario's    position.      This 


344  THE    LIFE    OF    HEINRICH    CONRIED 

activity  was  recognized  by  the  American  peo- 
ple, as  far  as  our  democracy  has  ever  recognized 
art  work  of  this  character.  Abroad  it  received 
more  pronounced  and  formal  reward.  We  find, 
for  instance,  that  Conried  counted  among  his 
decorations  the  Order  of  the  Crown,  Third 
Class  for  Merits  in  German  Art  in  America, 
bestowed  upon  him  by  the  Emperor  (1900). 
Francis  Joseph,  the  Austrian  monarch,  deco- 
rated him  with  the  Francis  Joseph  Order,  and 
it  was  immediately  after  the  San  Francisco 
earthquake  that  Mr.  Conried,  on  going  abroad, 
hastened  to  his  Emperor  in  person,  so  as  to 
thank  him  for  the  honor.  The  old  monarch 
was  closeted  with  the  Impresario  for  some  time, 
while  officers  waited  on  the  stairs,  impatient 
for  their  turn.  It  is  said  that  Mr.  Conried 
was  more  nervous  at  this  interview  than  he  was 
when  called  before  the  German  Emperor,  in- 
asmuch as  in  his  very  romantic  mind  he  had 
conjured  up  the  fact  that  Francis  Joseph  was 
his  Emperor,  while  Wilhelm  was  not. 

But  with  the  Emperor  William  he  was  al- 
ways on  the  friendliest  terms,  receiving  from 
him  many  tokens  of  personal  esteem.  When 
he  was  presented  with  a  snuff-box,  bearing 
the  royal  crest,  traced  in  valuable  stones,  the 
Impresario  was  bidden  to  have  it  ever  before 
him  as  a  measure  of  the  German  nation's  re- 


THE   LIFE    OF   HEINRICH    CONRIED  3-t5 

gard  for  him.  "It  is  men  like  you  I  need," 
the  Emperor  told  him.  Another  time,  ^Ir. 
Conried  was  bidden  aboard  the  HohenzoUeni, 
and  he  made  the  trip  all  the  way  from  Carls- 
bad, where  he  had  been  taking  the  cure.  He 
wore  full  dress  as  he  came  on  deck,  and  was 
met  by  the  Emperor.  Mr.  Conried  used  often 
to  describe  this  meeting,  dwelling  on  the  manner 
of  the  Kaiser  as  he  stood  close  to  Conried,  al- 
most touching  him,  and  looking  squarely  into 
his  eyes.  The  speech  of  the  Emperor  was  terse, 
and  there  was  no  formality  about  it. 

The  visit  lasted  for  several  hours,  and  refresh- 
ments, consisting  of  sherry  and  cake,  were 
served  them.  Holding  his  glass,  Mr.  Conried 
was  in  conversation  with  the  Empress  when  the 
Emperor  came  up  behind  him.  "You've  been 
taking  the  cure,  I  hear,"  he  said,  "and  I  know 
this  must  be  against  orders."  And  he  took  the 
glass  of  sherry  from  Conried,  drinking  it  off 
himself.  With  characteristic  grasp  of  things 
connected  with  Germany,  Conried  found  that 
the  Emperor  had  a  record  of  every  speech  made 
by  the  Director  and  Impresario,  and  that  his 
entire  career  was  as  well  known  to  the  royal 
family  as  though  he  had  lived  all  his  life  in 
Berlin  or  Munich.  Mr.  Conried  used  often  to 
say  that  "the  future  of  the  Germans  in  Amer- 
ica lies  with  Americans,  not  with   Germans," 


346  THE   LIFE    OF   HEINRICH    CONRIED 

and  he  would  on  all  occasions  repeat  this  re- 
mark. He  found  that  the  Emperor  had  hit 
upon  this  sentence  in  one  of  the  reports  he  had 
by  him,  and  on  the  margin  he  had  written:  "A 
speech  which  one  of  my  consuls  should  have 
made  years  ago." 

In  1904,  the  King  of  Italy  gave  Conried  the 
Cavaliere  Order,  followed,  in  1906,  by  a  higher 
bestowal  of  the  Commendatore  Order.  In  1891 
he  received  from  the  Duke  of  Meiningen  the 
first  class  of  the  Ritterkreuz  Order,  and  he 
likewise  received  recognition  from  the  King  of 
Belgium. 

Such  an  array  of  decorations  pleased  Conried 
very  much  indeed,  and  he  was  most  punctilious 
in  regard  to  wearing  them,  always  doing  so 
when  he  was  travelling  in  Austria  and  Germany, 
inasmuch  as  he  found  they  had  great  weight 
with  the  officials  of  the  railway,  and  he  never 
failed  in  getting  better  service.  "He  always 
wore  the  German  medals  first  when  he  was  in 
Germany,"  said  Mr.  Richard  Conried,  "and  the 
Austrian  emblems  in  Austria,  and  they  served 
to  awe  the  conductors  on  the  trains.*  My  fa- 
ther was  what  we,   in   America,   would  call  a 

*  Whenever  he  went  to  Europe,  he  would  always  try  to  visit 
Bad  Gastein,  the  Tyrol  and  Salsgammergut.  His  son  declares 
that  he  never  remembers  a  time  when  his  father,  crossing  the 
German  border  into  Austria,  did  not  utter  some  characteristic 
remark  of  pleasure,  a  smile  overspreading  his  face. 


THE   LIFE   or    HEINRICII    CONRIED  347 

'kicker'  in  regard  to  railroads,  for  he  knew  the 
railroad  laws  of  Germany  and  Austria  back- 
ward. At  one  time,  when  we  were  travelling, 
my  father's  ticket  called  for  a  second-class  com- 
partment, but  when  he  arrived  he  found  the 
car  filled;  so  he  slipped  into  a  first-class  com- 
partment, and  closed  the  door.  When  the  con- 
ductor saw  him  there,  he  wanted  to  collect  a 
first-class  fare;  not  only  that,  but  he  wished  to 
fine  my  father  for  having  opened  the  first-class 
door  when  his  ticket  did  not  warrant  it.  My 
father  refused  to  obey,  claiming  that  a  com- 
partment was  guaranteed  by  his  ticket.  By  this 
time  the  train  was  on  its  way,  and  at  the  next 
station  officials  awaited  him ;  but  there  was  little 
time  to  argue  the  case,  and  the  train  went  on, 
with  our  excess  fare  unpaid.  Several  stations 
were  passed.  There  seemed  to  be  more  and 
more  officials,  until,  when  we  reached  our  des- 
tination, police  greeted  us.  'Show  me  the  com- 
plaint book,'  said  my  father.  And,  much  to 
the  consternation  of  the  officials  present,  he  set 
forth  his  grievances  in  such  judicial  terms  as  to 
make  the  head  officer  say  that  he  indeed  had 
just  cause  for  his  complaint.  Some  time  after, 
when  we  had  returned  to  America,  my  father 
received  an  apology  from  the  German  Govern- 
ment, although  the  officials  were  careful  to  add: 


348  THE   LIFE    OF   HEINRICH    CONRIED 

'But,  inasmuch  as  you  paid  no  fine  or  excess 
fare,  why  are  you  complaining?'  Whenever 
he  was  in  Germany  or  Austria,  he  was  never- 
faihngly  annoyed  if  the  waiters  spoke  Eng- 
lish to  him.  His  friends  remember  how  nervous 
he  always  became  while  waiting  to  be  served. 
He  was  ever  particular  to  have  hot  cream 
and  hot  water  in  his  coffee,  and  many  a  fight 
he  had  in  restaurants  if  things  were  not  done 
as  he  wished  them  done.  This  unyielding  at- 
titude on  his  part  made  people  believe  that 
he  was  inconsiderate  of  the  working  people. 
That  was  not  so.  For  did  he  not  come  himself 
from  the  ranks  of  the  working  class?  He 
showed  punctilious  consideration  of  those  serv- 
ing him.  He  would  often  stop  to  chat  with  a 
driver  on  the  streets,  who .  recognized  him  and 
gave  him  friendly  greeting.  And  those  who 
knew  him  remember  with  relish  the  delightful 
stories  of  the  folk  of  Saxony  he  loved  to  tell." 
In  America,  we  have  not  waked  up  to  the 
delight  a  well-known  man  usually  takes  in 
medals  and  ribbons.  The  consequence  is  that 
Mr.  Conried,  while  he  received  from  various 
sources  gold  watches  and  rings,  and  richly  bound 
and  embossed  resolutions,  was  chiefly  feted  by 
special  dinners,  given  in  his  honor.  These  were 
mostly   of   a   social   character,    although   often 


THE   LIFE   OF   HEINRICH    CONRIED  349 

Conried  would  be  led  into  the  utterance  of  re- 
marks, like  those  at  the  Association  of  Theatre 
Managers'  Banquet. 

On  April  24,  1902,  Mr.  Conried  was  ten- 
dered a  banquet  by  the  Players  Club.  On 
February  13,  1904,  he  was  given  a  dinner  at 
the  Lotus  Club.  On  February  27,  1904,  he 
was  a  guest  of  honor  at  the  Strollers  Club. 
It  was  at  the  Lotus  Club  that  he  personally 
confronted  two  of  his  critics,  Mr.  Krehbiel  and 
another,  both  of  whom  took  occasion  to  make 
very  stringent  remarks  in  regard  to  his  work 
at  the  Metropolitan  Opera  House. 

As  a  clubman  himself,  Mr.  Conried  was  a 
member  of  the  following  organizations:  The 
Metropolitan  Opera  Club,  the  Harmonic  Club, 
the  Association  of  Theatre  Managers,  the  Aus- 
trian Society  of  New  York,  the  Players,  the 
German-American  Historical  Society,  the  Ac- 
tors' Home,  the  Deutsche  Press  Club,  the  Prog- 
ress Club,  land  the  United  Hebrew  Charities. 

Being  a  man  continually  thrown  with  j)ro- 
fessional  people,  he  was  rather  loath  to  allow 
the  professional  life  to  invade  his  home  to  any 
great  extent.  As  Director  of  the  Irving  Place 
Theatre,  he  was  obliged,  at  different  times,  as 
we  have  already  stated,  to  give  receptions  in 
honor  of  his  "guesting"  artists.     And  when  he 


350  THE    LIFE    OF    HEINRICH    CONRIED 

was  living  at  246  West  39th  Street,  many  such 
functions  had  to  be  gone  through;  so,  likewise, 
at  his  71st  Street  house,  state  dinners  were 
presided  over  when  particular  "stars"  of  the 
Metropolitan  had  to  have  unusual  courtesies  ex- 
tended to  them.  But,  at  such  moments,  Mr. 
Conried  always  regarded  his  entertainments  as 
official  functions,  and  his  artists  never  were 
able  to  say  that  they  had  a  glimpse  of  Mr. 
Conried  off  guard. 

It  is  from  such  testimony  as  that  given  me 
by  his  close  friend,  Mr.  Morris  Baar,  that  I 
am  able  to  sketch  the  outlines  of  Mr.  Conried's 
portrait. 

Mr.  Baar  spoke  to  me  in  the  following  terms : 
*'To  those  Mr.  Conried  knew,  he  was  always 
thoroughly  loyal ;  people  who  did  not  know  him, 
considered  him  arrogant,  but  he  was  honest  and 
frank  with  those  he  was  fond  of.  I  went  with 
him  once  to  Harvard  University,  and  saw  his 
dealings  with  the  Germanic  Department  there. 
I  went  with  him  to  New  Haven,  when  he  took 
his  Irving  Place  Theatre  Company  for  a  per- 
formance at  Yale.  Under  all  of  these  conditions, 
he  was  in  the  best  of  humors  and  the  most 
jovial  of  fellows.  I  was  a  member  of  his  Bowl- 
ing Club,  and,  no  matter  how  busy  he  was, 
Conried  would  always  come  to  us  after  the  play 


THE    LIFE    OF    HEINRICH    COXRIEI)  .•};"51 

for  a  rest,  he  would  say,  and  to  tlirow  aside 
his  official  cares. 

"People  often  told  me  that  he  had  a  'swelled' 
head,  but  I  interpret  his  absorption  as  mean- 
ing that  his  mind  was  taken  up  with  very  great 
and  exacting  things.  His  business  made  him 
often  preoccupied,  and  those  who  did  not  know 
him,  took  this  for  moroseness  or  aloofness.  He 
w^as  always  ready  to  do  good.  He  was  always 
ready  to  be  the  life  of  the  party.  In  fact,  if 
he  failed  in  being  the  life  of  the  party,  he  showed 
despondency,  like  a  boy.  When  Conried  became 
ill  and  did  not  come  to  our  weekly  gatherings, 
the  spirit  of  our  Bowling  Club  was  gone.  He 
was  the  very  heart  of  it  all. 

"When  I  saw  him  in  Vienna  for  the  last  time, 
he  took  me  under  his  special  care,  even  though 
he  was  sick — it  was  the  last  year  of  his  life. 
I  remember  that  he  was  in  the  best  of  humors, 
often  hospitable  even  to  lavishness.  However 
much  he  might  try  to  hide  it  from  me,  I  could 
tell  the  uneasiness  that  was  on  his  mind,  for, 
without  giving  thought  to  it,  he  would  refer  to 
certain  little  business  irritations  in  the  midst  of 
his  relish  of  anecdote  and  of  gossip.  His  con- 
cern at  this  time  was  the  New  Theatre. 

"This  was  the  period  when  I  saw  a  great  deal 
of  him.     I  knew  him  Avhen  he  was  poor,  and 


352  THE    LIFE    OF    HEINEICII    CONRIED 

when  lie  was  affluent,  and  to  those  who  might 
say  to  the  contrary,  I  emphatically  declare  that 
I  never  saw  him  change  in  his  attitude  toward 
his  friends.  Oh,  he  knew  poverty!  I  believe 
that  in  his  early  days  one  of  the  reasons  why 
Foerster  took  him  up  was  due  to  the  fact  that, 
while  they  were  out  walking  together  one  day, 
Conried  fainted  for  lack  of  food! 

"When  Conried  was  first  stricken  in  his  last 
illness,  he  had  no  fear  of  confirmed  invalidism; 
I  have  often  heard  him  say  that,  rather  than 
be  an  invalid  all  his  life,  he  would  kill  himself. 
I  do  not  remember  a  time  when  he  was  not 
ready  to  see  me  during  business  hours,  and  even 
when  he  was  racked  in  pain. 

"Mr.  Conried  never  expected  to  be  rich. 
When  his  money  came  to  him,  I  often  heard 
him  say  that  he  wanted  his  son,  Richard,  to  be 
in  a  position  where  he  could  work  for  his.  The 
father  did  not  wish  the  son  to  think  that  a  pos- 
sible inheritance  would  save  him  from  making 
his  way.  Therefore,  Conried,  during  his  life- 
time, was  fearfully  liberal,  not  caring  to  save. 
I  have  often  heard  him  ask,  'What  shall  I  do 
with  my  money?' 

"He  was  a  very  stern  disciplinarian,  as  far 
as  Richard  was  concerned,  hiding  behind  his 
firmness  a  very  great  love  for  the  boy,  a  fond- 


THE    LIFE    OF    HEINRICII    CONRIED  3.53 

ness  which  showed  especially  during  the  last 
year  of  his  life.  Toward  his  son  he  was  emi- 
nently fair,  but  very  strict!  And  I  think  that 
that  strictness  was  due  to  the  fact  that  he  feared 
young  Richard  had  a  talent  for  the  stage.  He 
refused  to  attend  any  amateur  i^erformance  in 
which  Richard  was  to  appear,  for  fear  that  he 
might,  on  seeing  him,  be  convinced  of  the  boy's 
talent. 

"All  during  his  Metropolitan  career,  I  re- 
meniber  his  exclaiming,  'I  am  going  to  see  that 
Dick  has  a  better  education  than  I  had,'  and 
he  was  ever  watchful  of  his  son's  career  at 
Columbia    University. 

"On  Richard's  twenty-first  birthday,  his  father 
asked  him  what  he  wished,  with  the  result  tliat 
he  was  given  an  automobile.  Some  time  after, 
young  Richard  saw  an  opportunity  to  'swop' 
his  car  for  what  he  described  as  'a  dandy,'  pro- 
vided an  additional  $300  was  paid.  So  he  went 
to  his  father  to  ask  for  the  cash.  It  was  the 
year  of  the  panic,  and  even  though  Conried's 
family  did  not  know  anything  at  all  about  his 
business  troubles,  he  was  imder  a  great  business 
strain.  But  the  father  told  the  son  that  he 
would  think  his  proposal  over,  and  the  next 
morning  consented  to  the  boy's  extravagance. 

"In  Europe  one  summer,  he  left  Richard  liis 


354  THE    LIFE    OF    HEINRICH    CONRIED 

car,  so  that  he  could  take  some  young  friends 
on  a  tour.  The  boy  was  very  careful  to  let 
his  father  know  how  he  was  getting  on,  and 
dropped  him  a  line,  describing  the  excursion,  and 
boasting  of  the  many  miles  they  had  gone. 

"  'That's  all  right,'  wrote  Conried,  in  response, 
'but  remember  gasolene  is  expensive.' 

"I  recollect  at  one  time  how  anxious  Con- 
ried was  to  read  me  his  speech,  which  he  was  go- 
ing to  deliver  before  the  Theatrical  Managers 
of  New  York,"  continued  Mr.  Baar,  "and  he 
asked  me  to  make  any  suggestions  in  regard  to 
his  English  I  thought  would  improve  it.  But 
after  we  had  gone  through  one  page,  he  very 
characteristically  said,  'I  had  rather  have  the 
Conried  looseness,  and  know  the  speech  was 
wholly  mine,  than  have  it  correct  and  touched 
up  by  some  one  else.'     So  we  stopped. 

"I  never  regarded  Conried  as  a  business  man. 
He  was  mainly  artistic.  If  he  did  not  care 
for  a  play,  but  was  forced  to  produce  it  because 
of  certain  demands  made  by  his  clientele,  he  lost 
interest,  and  rather  than  attend  the  first  night, 
he  would  have  some  business  which  would  call 
him  suddenly  away  to  Boston,  so  as  to  avoid 
the  opening.  One  might  be  sure  to  find  Con- 
ried, however,  under  normal  conditions,  every 
night  as  his  desk,  either  at  the  theatre  or  at  the 


THE    LIFE    OE    IIEINlUCli    CONKIED  355, 

opera.  He  was  a  man  of  wonderful  patience 
and  of  either  no  enthusiasm  whatsoever,  or  fiery 
enthusiasm.  I  shall  never  forget  how  aflame  he 
was  during  the  last  visit  I  paid  him  in  Vienna, 
for  he  wanted  me  to  go  to  the  Burg  Theater 
and  look  it  over,  inasmuch  as  he  had  it  in  mind 
as  a  model  for  the  New  Theatre. 

"From  the  standpoint  of  sociability  he  was  a 
prince  among  his  associates.  I  shall  never 
forget  his  cooking.  He  came  to  visit  us  while 
we  were  at  Fleischmann's  Farm  in  the  moun- 
tains, Griflin's  Corners,  Catskills.  He  had  just 
returned  from  Europe,  and  he  brought  ^Nlrs. 
Conried  with  him.  His  Hungarian  goulash 
made  for  us  out  in  the  open  was  a  rare  treat.* 
When  he  came  he  would  often  bring  with  him 
large  supplies  of  black  bread,  reminiscent  of  his 
earlier  days.  I  shall  never  cease  to  smile  over 
the  memory  of  his  plentiful  helping  of  beans. 
And  after  our  camp  repast  was  over,  how  won- 
derfully he  would  entertain  us  wnth  stories !  How 
jovially  he  would  tease  us!  But  alack  and  alas, 
if  anyone  ever  tried  to  tease  him!    I  think  that 

*  Mr.  Richard  Conried  says  his  father  claimed  that  Focrstcr 
taught  him  how  to  cook.  He  always  was  very  strict  in  his  criti- 
cism of  other  people's  fare,  and  once  he  so  emphatically  disagreed 
with  Mrs.  Fleischmann  as  to  how  certain  dishes  should  be  pre- 
pared, that  she  made  him  cook  an  entire  dinner  for  her  one 
evening,  and,  out  of  revenge,  invited  fifteen  people  to  be  lier 
guests.  But  that  did  not  worry  Conried  in  the  least.  He  man- 
aged the  Vienna  repast  without  any  mishap. 


356  THE    LIFE    OF    HEINRICH    CONRIED 

his  humor  bordered  more  often  on  sarcasm  than 
on  pure  fun.  When  Conried  opened  his  mouth, 
others  had  to  be  silent,  whether  they  were  am- 
bassador, singer,  or  friend.  Young  Conried 
was  always  silent  before  his  father. 

"A  man  in  Mr.  Conried's  position  would 
naturally  have  many  enemies,  and  these  would 
be  made  over  the  slightest,  most  trivial  things. 
I  remember,  once,  a  man  dropping  his  opera- 
glasses  from  the  gallery  of  the  Irving  Place 
Theatre  on  to  the  head  of  a  man  in  the  orchestra. 
People  actually  thought  that  Conried  should 
have  held  himself  responsible  for  the  accident, 
simply  because  it  had  occurred  in  his  theatre. 

"These  are  just  a  few  random  recollections 
of  the  man  we  all  loved.  He  was  a  rare  ac- 
quaintance and  a  very  beautiful  friend." 

The  reference  that  Mr.  Baar  made  to  the 
sternness  in  Mr.  Conried's  character  is  well 
exemplified  by  the  reminiscent  exclamations 
punctuating  Mr.  Richard  Conried's  recollec- 
tions of  his  father.  "My,"  he  said,  "if  you  were 
late  for  supper!  Strict!  That  is  not  the  word 
for  it!"  Or  again,  "My  father  always  spoke 
German  to  my  mother  and  to  me.  He  would 
allow  my  mother  to  answer  him  in  English,  but 
if  I  tried  to  do  so,  I  had  to  pay  for  it!" 

The  personality  of  Heinrich   Conried,  how- 


THE    LIFE    OF    HEINRKII    CONKIKl)  3.57 

ever,  has  been  very  indelibly  stamped  upon  liis 
son  in  inherited  traits.  In  talking  with  liiin, 
one  can  easily  detect  those  characteristics  which 
exemplify  the  training  he  must  have  had  as  a 
boy,  that  training  which,  from  the  Teutonic 
point  of  view,  results  in  a  reverence  for  author- 
ity. The  many  times  I  talked  with  ]Mr.  Con- 
ried  in  regard  to  his  father,  I  was  always  able 
to  glean  from  him  new  and  interesting  flashes 
of  remembrance — those  intimate  little  touches 
which  showed  Conried  in  so  many  varied  lights. 
And  it  is  these  varied  flashes,  given  at  random, 
which  help  to  complete  the  portrait  of  the  man. 
"My  father,"  he  said,  "died  intestate.  This 
was  in  no  way  an  indication  that  he  was  lack- 
ing in  business  acumen,  but  it  more  readily 
illustrates  a  superstitious  dread  he  had  of  mak- 
ing a  will.  He  was  of  the  old  world,  and  I 
remember  now  how  he  used  to  regard  the  New 
York  fashion  of  young  girls  going  to  the  thea- 
tre with  boys,  unchaperoned,  as  something  out- 
rageously bold.  He  was  always  content  to  let  me 
take  my  girl  friends,  provided  he  and  my  mother 
were  somewhere  in  the  house.  He  was  nevei' 
lenient  to  any  excuse  that  was  not  thorouglily 
logical.  I  know  that  to  my  grief.  He  was  not 
a  good  mixer,  but  when  he  did  mix  he  was 
an  excellent  entertainer.     Pie  could  not  stand 


358  THE   LIFE   OF   HEINRICH    CONRIED 

familiarity,  and  was  a  great  stickler  for  man- 
ners. If  people  did  not  show  deference  to  things 
he  thought  should  be  respected,  then  he  always 
formed  a  harsh  opinion  of  them.  I  remember 
how  furious  he  used  to  be  whenever  a  messenger- 
boy  entered  his  office  with  his  hat  on. 

"As  long  as  I  can  recollect,  he  always  in- 
sisted that  his  stage  life  should  be  kept  separate 
from  his  home  life,  and  my  mother's  isolation 
from  the  theatre  helped  him  in  this  respect.  She 
was  fond  of  music,  but  she  was  in  no  way  a 
public  woman.  She  was  an  ideal  house-frau. 
They  never  went  anywhere  without  each  other, 
and  their  home  life  was  absolutely  happy.  My 
remembrances  of  my  father  abroad,  while  we 
were  touring,  is  seeing  him  in  the  front  seat 
of  the  motor  with  the  chauffeur.  He  always 
declared  that  he  liked  that  place  best  because, 
when  he  didn't  want  to  talk  he  didn't  have  to. 
He  always  had  a  long  paper  cigar-holder,  and 
he  always  smoked  a  bad  brand  which  was 
named  after  him.  When  he  was  in  health,  he 
usually  smoked  fifteen  cigars  a  day,  and  even  a 
larger  number  when  staging  plays  at  his  desk. 
For  it  must  be  remembered  that  he  worked  out 
every  detail  at  his  desk  before  he  went  on  the 
stage.  I  never  knew  my  father  when  he  was 
not  busy.     But  he  was  never  so  busy  that  he 


THE   LIFE   OF    HEINRICH    CONRIED  359 

could  not  indulge  in  walking,  which  he  loved, — 
or  in  riding.  In  his  earlier  days  he  enjoyed 
his  horses  and  his  brougham.  During  his  last 
years,  his  Mercedes  car  was  his  chief  pleasure. 
All  through  his  busiest  months  at  the  ]SIetro- 
politan  Opera  House,  I  have  often  seen  him 
leaving  home  particularly  early,  so  that  he  might 
walk  down  to  the  Opera  House.  He  was  a 
tei'ribly  early  riser,  considering  that  six  hours 
were  quite  enough  for  people  to  sleep. 

"He  was  always  interested  in  talking  with 
specialists.  From  the  time  he  had  to  take  care 
of  his  health,  he  was  continually  discussing  the 
efficacy  of  certain  medicines  with  physicians, 
ferreting  out  their  special  qualities  for  himself. 
I  believe  he  had  about  a  million  drugs  within 
reach ! 

"His  tastes  were  simple  and  his  pleasures 
were  equally  so.  I  remember  how  he  loved  to 
drive,  and  I  cannot  say  that  he  was  particularly 
careful.  He  had  several  accidents,  one  of  them 
proving  nearly  disastrous.  He  was  in  liis  sur- 
rey when  the  horse  ran  away  with  him.  And  he 
had  to  drive  into  a  hedge,  where  there  was  a 
general  break-up.  At  another  time,  on  the  Sea- 
bright  road  at  Long  Branch,  he  was  driving  in 
the  dark  when  the  horse  came  to  a  sudden 
stop.     My  father  whipped  him,  and  the  horse 


360  THE   LIIE   OF    HEINKICH    CONRIED 

reared  frantically,  forcing  my  father  to  get  out 
and  see  what  was  the  matter.  Much  to  his 
surprise,  there  was  a  sheer  drop  before  him  of 
one  hundred  feet. 

"He  loved  dogs.  He  had  one,  a  Great 
Dane,  six  feet  high  on  his  hind  legs,  and  crazy 
about  my  father.  He  sold  it  to  the  Fleisch- 
manns,  and  went  to  Hoboken  to  see  that  he 
was  properly  shipped.  When,  later  on,  he 
visited  the  Fleischmanns  in  the  Catskills,  the 
dog  was  beside  himself  with  joy  as  he  saw  my 
father  coming  up  the  steps.  He  always  spoke 
German  to  his  dogs  and  to  me!  And  I  shall 
never  forget  how  he  would  take  infinite  pains 
when  at  the  table  to  teach  those  dogs  little 
tricks. 

"In  1897,  we  were  living  at  246  West  39th 
Street.  It  was  at  this  time  that  Cuna  Veberidge 
made  a  bust  of  my  father.  We  then  moved  to 
71st  Street,  about  1900.  This  house  was  fur- 
nished in  different  periods.  The  parlor  was 
Louis  XIV,  the  dining-room  old  English. 
There  was  likewise  a  Turkish  room.  My  father 
was  prodigal  in  bestowing  jewels  upon  my 
mother,  and  he  satisfied  his  own  particular  taste 
by  having  his  agents  scour  Europe  for  what- 
ever German  manuscripts  they  could  find  for 
him,  or  for  any  rare  piece  of  furniture. 


THE    LIFE    OF    llEINKICII    CONKIEl)  ^Gl 

"There  were  two  little  white  scars  on  my 
father's  forehead.  These  were  the  result  of  a 
rather  startling  adventure  one  night.  He  had 
a  habit  of  sleeping  with  a  rej^eater-watch  under 
his  pillow.  Once,  when  he  was  in  St.  Louis,  he 
felt  something  cold  on  his  forehead  and  put  up 
his  hand,  thinking  that  someone  was  touching 
him  with  his  watch;  instead  of  which  two  rats 
scampered  away,  not  however,  before  they  had 
inflicted  a  severe  wound  on  my  father's  fore- 
head, which  had  to  be  sewn  up — with  the  result 
that  these  scars  were  left. 

'T  remember,  when  I  was  at  Columbia,  I  took 
my  father  and  Herr  Mottl,  the  Director,  to  a 
Columbia- Yale  football  game,  and,  though  my 
father  was  excited  at  the  sight  of  so  many  people 
23resent,  he  was  disgusted  at  the  roughness  of 
the  sport,  firmly  convinced  that  our  American 
colleges  paid  too  much  attention  to  games  and 
too  little  to  study." 

In  Karlsbad,  Mr.  Conried  was  famous  for 
what  became  known  as  the  Conried  Basket.  He 
would  almost  invariably  send  to  any  American 
visitor  who  arrived  in  town — whether  or  not  he 
knew  the  person — a  basket  of  flowers — red  roses, 
white  carnations,  and  blue  corn  flowers — a 
patriotic  touch  of  red,  white  and  blue.  For 
Heinrich  Conried  was  loyal  to  America;  how- 


362  THE   LIFE   OF   HEINRICH    CONRIED 

ever  much  he  might  fight  against  the  educational 
and  social  ways  of  this  country,  once  on  the 
other  side  he  would  almost  amiihilate  anyone 
who  spoke  against  America.  Foreign  slowness 
and  inattention  to  detail  almost  drove  him 
mad.  When  he  was  ill  at  Steinach,  on  July 
4th,  he  asked  that  his  son  roll  him  in  his  chair 
over  to  the  flag-pole.  He  wanted,  personally, 
to  superintend  the  hoisting  of  the  American 
"Stars  and  Stripes,"  the  flag  of  Austria  being 
on  an  opposite  staff.  Even  when  he  was  dying, 
his  last  desire  was  to  be  brought  to  America. 

So  we  might  continue  with  these  little  extra- 
neous incidents  which  go  to  make  up  a  man. 
Talking  with  friends  who  knew  Conried  when 
he  first  arrived  in  America,  we  are  able  to 
conjure  up  in  our  minds  a  picture  of  the  little, 
young  man,  speaking  exquisite  German,  but 
wearing  execrable  shirts,  which  he  bought  in 
large  quantities.  Even  thus  early  in  his  career, 
he  was  manifesting  a  strong  taste  for  collecting 
things,  with  the  consequence  that  when  he  died 
he  had  a  rich  hoard  of  valuable  mementoes, 
including  autographs  of  great  worth.  In  fact, 
as  an  autograph-collector  he  ranked  among  the 
foremost  in  America.  It  was  with  particular 
pleasure  that  he  boasted  of  manuscripts  and 
autographs    by    Schiller,     Napoleon,     Goethe, 


THE   LIFE    OF    HEINRICH    CONRIED  363 

Louis  XIV,  Lessing,  Longfellow,  and  Heine. 
To  these,  and  another  small  collection  made  by 
Mrs.  Conried  herself,  was  added  a  treasury  of 
golden  names.  Hardly  an  artist,  famous  in  the 
operatic  and  dramatic  world  of  the  last  score 
of  years,  but  had  a  page  in  Mrs.  Conried's  auto- 
graph-book, and  had  written  some  characteris- 
tic and  whimsical  sentiments — Adelina  Patti, 
Edwin  Booth,  Ada  Rehan,  Joseph  Joachim, 
Humperdinck,  Mrs.  Gilbert,  Lilli  Lehmann, 
Caruso,  Fulda,  Agnes  Sorma,  Richard  Strauss, 
and  Wolfe  Farrare,  to  mention  only  a  few  of 
the  notables.  In  the  line  of  books,  Mr.  Con- 
ried had  a  complete  collection  of  the  German 
classics. 

We  have  already  given  a  picture  of  Conried 
the  actor,  vain-glorious  and  attitudinizing.  We 
see  him  at  the  height  of  his  power  at  the  Irving 
Place  Theatre,  we  see  him  with  a  Czar-like  grip 
at  the  Metropolitan  Opera  House,  and  finally 
we  see  him,  an  invalid,  wheeled  to  his  office  in 
a  chair,  and  attended  by  his  trained  nurse 
and  by  a  faithful  attendant,  Frank,  who  never 
left  his  side  for  an  instant.  When  he  was  too 
ill  to  go  to  the  office,  "Goldener  Heinrich,"  as 
his  sister  called  him,  would  demand  his  slate, 
upon  which  the  repertoire  for  the  week  at  the 
Metropolitan  was  printed,  and  he  would  study 


364  THE    LIFE    OF    HEINRICH    CONRIED 

it  over  and  send  his  orders  to  the  Opera  House 
by  messenger. 

It  was  during  this  time  that  he  was  racked 
with  the  many  problems  preceding  his  resigna- 
tion. Tliis  in  itself  would  have  been  bad  enough, 
but  he  was  racked  with  pain  also.  Yet  the  forti- 
tude of  the  man  never  gave  out.  It  is  told  of 
him  how  he  went  abroad  on  his  final  trip,  suffer- 
ing so  much  that  he  was  careful  to  have  the  door 
closed,  for  fear  his  wife  and  son  would  hear  him 
in  his  agony. 

His  trained  nurse  tells  me  that,  after  a  long 
illness,  in  1907,  when  Mr.  Conried  was  finally 
able  to  go  to  his  office,  he  was  driven  down 
Broadway.  As  the  Metropolitan  came  into 
view,  he  leaned  forward  and  stretched  out  his 
arms,  exclaiming  "My  Opera  House!"  Truly 
the  man's  heart  was  in  his  work,  though  there 
were  many  who  would  deny  it. 

All  during  this  exacting  period  of  illness, 
Mrs.  Conried  never  left  her  husband's  side  ex- 
cept once  when,  in  Berlin,  Ambassador  Hill 
persuaded  her  to  come  to  the  Embassy,  during 
the  ovation  which  was  accorded  King  Edward 
VII  on  his  visit  to  the  Kaiser.  How  strange  all 
this  sounds  in  view  of  the  Great  War ! 

Mr.  Conried's  death  was  not  only  a  great 
blow  to  his   family — his   Avife   never   recovered 


THE    LIFE    OF    HEIXRICH    COXRIED  365 

from  the  shock,  and  survived  her  husband  only 
a  year  and  a  half — but  it  hit  hard  his  associates 
and  his  friends.  His  life-long  companion,  Mr. 
Hermann,  never  failed  to  send  a  postal-card  to 
his  sick  comrade  every  Sunday,  inquiring  after 
his  iiealth;  and,  alone  in  his  room  in  New  York, 
he  heard  the  newsboys  below  in  the  street,  call- 
ing out  the  death  of  Heinrich  Conried.  He  sur- 
vived his  comrade  only  one  month. 

There  was  a  characteristic  of  Mr.  Conried 
which  no  one  can  deny  him — his  indefatigable 
pluck.  No  mishap  so  great  that  he  could  not 
rise  above  it!  Even  after  his  resignation  as 
Impresario  at  the  Metropolitan  Opera  House, 
though  he  knew  that  his  physical  condition  could 
not  stand  too  much  work,  his  active  mind  turned 
to  planning  a  livelihood  for  himself,  however 
much  he  really  did  not  need  it.  We  know,  for 
instance,  when  he  went  abroad,  that  he  was 
negotiating  to  represent  the  Dictograph  Com- 
pany. We  know  that,  as  an  inventor,  he  was 
actively  at  work  trying  to  frame  up  some  practi- 
cal scheme  of  commercial  value.  As  in  years 
gone  by,  he  had  invented  a  clasp  for  the  old- 
fashioned  pocket-book,  so  now  he  invented  a 
clasp  to  hold  elevated  tickets.  But  none  of  these 
ideas  were  pushed  sufficiently  to  bring  him  any 
immediate  profit. 


366  THE    LIFE    OF    HEINRICH    CONRIED 

Such  was  the  career  of  a  man  to  whom  artistic 
talent  cannot  be  denied,  and  yet  who  was  equally 
famed  for  the  excellence  of  his  practical  judg- 
ment. As  one  of  his  personal  staff  said,  "He 
was  a  brave  and  a  good  fighter.  He  never 
turned  his  back  on  any  problem.  He  faced  it 
unflinchingly.  His  genius  consisted  in  assimi- 
lating the  ideas  of  others.  He  was  very  original 
in  overcoming  what  to  others  might  have  been 
insurmountable  barriers." 

He  succeeded  in  establishing  an  art  standard, 
and,  because  of  that,  he  deserves  to  take  his 
place  as  one  of  the  most  distinctive  theatrical 
managers  America  has  ever  had.  He  helped  to 
place  the  Metropolitan  Opera  House  on  a  firm 
basis,  which  did  much  for  those  who  were  to  fol- 
low him.  His  impress  has  not  yet  disappeared 
from  opera  management.  Working  at  a  time 
when  the  repertory  idea  was  unfamiliar  in 
America,  he  succeeded  in  turning  the  public  eye 
on  his  efforts.  Assuming  control  of  the  Metro- 
politan at  a  time  when  everyone  thought  Opera 
spelled  ruin,  he  succeeded  in  making  large 
profits  during  several  of  his  seasons.  What- 
ever his  shortcomings — and  no  artistic  manager 
is  flawless  in  dealing  with  conditions  that  in 
themselves  are  full  of  flaws — they  are  over- 
balanced by  the  positive  and  excellent  effects 


THE   LIFE    OF    HEINRICH    CONRIED  367 

of  his  artistic  career.  When  all  is  told,  apart 
from  his  personal  worth  to  his  friends,  apart 
from  the  love  and  reverence  of  his  family,  Hein- 
rich  Conried  will  occupy  a  large  and  worthy 
position  in  the  art  history  of  America. 


14  DAY  USE 

RETURN  TO  DESK  FROM  WHICH  BORROWED 

lOAN  DEPT. 


"  jic&  m^  am — tfUL  2  r^A 

"^ '^^^-'D  -rmn  mps 


mr  i^r-; 


^rrrairr? — — — 


RECEIVED  BY 


NOV  2  0  1980 


CIRCULATION  DEPn 


\:^ISH  1:  !.  'iQ^^- 


^I'ip^!^!;  DEC  ^3 1987 


Berkeley 


GENERAL  LIBRARY    U.C.  BERKELEY 

IIII 

BDQDfi^ib3D 


mil' III 


M57895 


THE  UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA  LIBRARY 


